Eradicate
by xX3B.r.o.k.e.n.3Xx
Summary: The villains of Townsville are murdered one by one, and only the Powerpuff Girls can save them. But when their number one priorities are the RowdyRuff Boys, can they protect them? Or will this killer get away with yet another murder? SLIGHT AU (Full Summary, Ratings and Warnings Inside) ON HIATUS
1. Combust

**There's a murderer in Townsville, killing every villain in the city. The girls must stop them before it's too late. Things get worse when the find out that they must also protect the RowdyRuff Boys while doing so. Can they catch the killer before the criminals die out? It's only a matter of time before their number 1 priorities are next, the RowdyRuff Boys. Will they stop the murderer in time? Better than it sounds, because I _really _suck at summaries. They're just too hard to write. Read and Review? Your constructive criticism is really appreciated. Collaborative Story written by FFicReader and xX3B.r.o.k.e.n.3Xx.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: <em>Failure <em>~ _xX3B.r.o.k.e.n.3Xx_**

It combusted. It was over-heated. He had failed again, and again, and again. His experiments had always failed him. The only one that ever went right was years ago, when he accidentally created the best thing he'd ever wanted. The only thing he ever wished for.

Three perfect little daughters. The daughters who saved his life, and the citizens of Townsville's lives repeatedly with no complaints. This city would be dead without them, and it was all thanks to him.

No, it wasn't his doing. It was a confused and scared little primate that created them. He would've never added the Chemical into the mixture on purpose, because he felt it wasn't needed. Without his little partner he wouldn't have the angels he was blessed with to this day.

But that didn't stop him from getting mad at himself for all his failed projects. Where was that monkey when he needed him? Maybe he could make things work…

…If he wasn't an evil, super-genius criminal…

Professor John Utonium sighed, dragging his big fingers through his jet black hair, although, little by little it was going gray from stress.

He would try again, only using a different substance in the mixture. He knew the two he used first were right, he was 100 percent sure it was correct. It was the third one he couldn't figure out. And when he poured the alleged "right one" in, it caught on fire. Struggling to keep the flames away from every flammable item in the room for the safety of himself, and his beloved daughters, who were oblivious to the potential hazard just downstairs. Grabbing the nearest fire extinguisher, he pulled the pin and squeezed the lever, watching nervously as the misty foam gushed out like water from a faucet. As soon as the fire was put out, in a fit of rage, Professor Utonium seized the glass cauldron off of the miniature stovetop and threw it to the other side of the room. It smashed loudly against the wall, breaking into pieces.

He figured he should just give up, for the night anyway. Besides, he had to go take care of his daughters. They had passed out once they reached home, severely beaten and bloody, covered in cuts and scrapes. What ever monster they had battle against was strong, but they, fortunately, were able to defeat it. When Professor came across their wounded bodies, he almost lost all composure and broke down. What monster could've done this to his little girls? But he was even angrier to find out that it was no mutant creature from the island across the lake, but a _criminal_ that had outwitted them, and beat them to a pulp.

Though, what made the _girls_ mad was the fact that it was the Gangreen Gang that did all the damage, which was unbelievable to them, and "unacceptable" on the Professor's behalf. Since when were _they_ strong? This was a question that haunted the Utonium Family's minds.

Professor was working on a medication that would help heal their wounds quicker, a medication with more Chemical X to enhance their strength entirely. But, alas, it failed. He had settled with regular Chemical X to get their bodies back to normal. John sighed inwardly as he stared down upon his sleeping daughters. Blossom, who was lounging on the armchair, Buttercup, who was sprawled out on the couch, and his youngest, Bubbles, who appeared to be so downtrodden and abused, that she had collapsed right on the floor. Had he not watched where he was walking, he would've stepped on her.

He smiled sadly at his treasures, deep in thought. Sometimes he regretted allowing his daughters to go out and blindly fight people, not knowing what they were fully capable. If he lost them, he would lose his mind. He feared the day that the PowerPuff Girls would meet there match and lose the battle for good. Not wanting to think of those kinds of things, he left the living room as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb the three sisters. It was best to let them rest and naturally heal as much as possible before he gave them the extra dose of Chemical X.

He went back downstairs to his laboratory to get the Chemical ready for the girls for when they woke up. But the sudden realization of the chemical he had failed to use in his previous concoction made him forget about the task at hand. Professor Utonium turned on the vat of, now, bubbling water. He was a very persistent being, and once again, he tried to mix his creation, having a sudden urge to use a certain chemical in the mix this time. He used the first two chemicals, Zhytonite acid and Yimasei F, just like before. But instead of using the chemicals he used the last three times, he used the one that gave him his greatest treasures;

Chemical X.

He cautiously poured a little amount of the black substance into the pot, watching as it turned green and started bubbling over. He wasn't sure if it was a success or a failure, since all of them had bubbled over before anything happened. But it looked as if it was working. Could it be? Had he actually created the right formula to make the antidote for his girls' injuries?

Nope.

He leaned forward to better examine his work, which was a mistake, because it exploded, throwing him back against the wall on the opposite side of the room. The substance splattered all over the floor and walls, but quickly evaporated into nothing, which made him panic for a brief moment. He stood from his stretched out position on the floor and rubbed the back of his head, for it had smacked hard against the wall. He cursed under his breath as he slowly limped towards the lab table, placing his hands on either side of it to steady himself. The smell of chemicals and another unknown scent stung in his nostrils. He winced a bit, hoping that the concoction hadn't found it's way inside of his bloodstream somehow. The stinging went away as quickly as it came, and John shrugged it off as nothing.

The same thing has occurred too many times before- enough times to allow him to shrug it off instantaneously. Instead, his mind drifted off to his failures once more. He should just give up, he wouldn't be able to create something that would help his daughters immediately. It would take time to produce such thing, and it would come with a lot of trials and errors.

He frowned, hobbling towards the other side of the table, when his reflection in the mirror on the other wall beside him caught his attention. Was this really what he had become? An old, over-stressed man, his posture withering away and a near permanent frown etched on his face? He needed to go easier on himself, or he would end up bringing down the ones around him, as well as he himself. He could not prevent his weary eyes from averting their gaze down to his feet. He was ashamed to be an embarrassment to himself.

"_Do you not care about them?" _

John perked up, his head shooting upwards. Naturally, the first thing he would see was his own image in the mirror, and he expected it to be him, bent over the lab table, looking confusedly at himself in the glass frame. He would've never anticipated the image of himself, standing straight and tall glaring down at him.

It wasn't him. It couldn't be. It was his conscious, taking the form of him in the mirror. That being the only logical explanation John could muster, as unreasonable as it seemed.

"_They are your daughters, your only family, your _life_!" _It hissed at him. He stared in disbelief, and yet he took everything it said into mind.

"_All you care about is yourself, and how you can't figure out a stupid 'magical potion_'_!"_ John stood from his hunched position on the table and sauntered over to the mirror. _"You need to stop being so selfish, and look at the more important things. It's the fact that those villains are beginning to get stronger, and are matching the power of your girls! Soon, they'll be overpowering them, and they'll use that as their advantage and _kill _them!" _John's imitation preached at him. But all the real Professor could do was wince at the thought of the villains killing his precious angels. It was unspeakable. Unacceptable. _Unforgivable. _His reflection began to orate once more.

"_You need to make sure none of those villains touch a hair on their fragile bodies, or else anything and everything that happens to them is your fault. It's all on your account! The rotten scum that walk the streets of the town need to be stopped!" _It smirked, flashing it's jagged teeth. Even Professor Utonium himself snarled, glaring daggers at the ground below his feet. He hunched over once more, his legs giving away from the rage that coursed through his veins.

Just thinking about the cruel _monstrosities_ that could injure three little girls with no remorse made him sick. Even if they were 17 (Bubbles), 18 (Buttercup) and 19 (Blossom), they were still young women, and the scum that tried to butcher them were no better than the dirt on the bottom of his shoe. Even the dirt surpassed them in terms of greatness. He scoffed, getting a foul taste on his tongue just cogitating about the people that dared to lay a hand on the PowerPuff Girls. It made him want to murder them himself. If they wanted to get to the PowerPuff Girls, they'd have to go through _him_ first.

But of course he would be of no match to them. It was an unattainable dream for him to be able to stop bad guys from inflicting any harm to the PowerPuff Girls. Sooner or later, someone was bound to do it for the sake of the town and for the sake of the town's saviours. And that day had better come sooner rather than later.

John turned his attention back to the mirror, only to find a crouched image of himself glaring back at him. As his features changed, so did the reflection's, matching his look of confusion. Everything was back to normal.

Or at least as normal as normal could be after everything that just happened.

"Professor!" He heard a small voice cry out. On instinct, he leaned upwards, straightening himself out. The middle child had awoken.

Unhurriedly, he marched up the stairs and opened the metal door dividing him from the rest of the world around him. As he turned the knob and swung the door open he came face to face with the familiar jade eyes he loved. "How are you feeling?" He asked, staring right into her eyes. He couldn't stop the smile from passing over his face.

"I've been better." Buttercup replied truthfully. She wasn't afraid of letting go of her pride every once in a while. He lifted a hand and ruffled her raven hair like he would when she was younger. Apparently, it still annoyed her to this very day, since she lightly shoved his arm away. "Quit it." She uttered softly.

"Okay, I'm sorry." He apologized, raising his hands defensively. She grinned at him before going straight to the refrigerator. Typical Buttercup. Her personality had barely changed since she was younger. Although she remained a tomboyish girl, she would, unbelievably, wear skirts, as long as the were puffy and "funky" as she referred to it. On several occasions, Professor called her a zombie, vampire, rock-princess or something of the likes. She would just glare at him, and he'd shut his mouth for a few days before resuming his name-calling. But despite that drastic change, she refused to touch anything pink, unless it was pink and black.

But other than that, she was the same old Buttercup. Professor Utonium chuckled as he watched her exit the kitchen with a bag of chips and a can of soda. Ignoring his snickering, she planted herself on the couch in front of the television where she had passed out just moments ago, and continued to tune in to her favourite show as if nothing ever happened. And yet, on either side of her, her sisters lay there, unconscious. Professor smiled once more.

Yep. Same old Buttercup.

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><p>Ace stalked through the junkyard, flashlight in hand and remaining gang close behind him. 4:00 in the morning and it was raining hard, but there was no lightning or thunder clashing in the sky above. His lit cigarette slowly died out, and he flicked the butt recklessly to the side, letting the water droplets extinguish the ember. He grunted, his voice dry and raspy as he called out for his missing friend. Snake hurried up beside him, hissing quietly as he gripped and tugged at the leader's black leather vest.<p>

Ace had to look down to see Snake, due to the fact that the second in command was more than 5 inches shorter than him. He lifted his eyebrow, questioning Snake's actions. And when the shy boy failed to respond, he voiced his confusion. "What?" He barked. His patience was vanishing from the annoyance of having to look for his careless comrade in the pouring rain. To add to that, it was early in the morning, so he was tired and grumpy, too. At least it wasn't a thunder storm that would keep him up once the recovered their missing member and headed back to their shelter.

Snake winced and slightly shrunk back from the visible irritation in Ace's hoarse voice. He carefully, and hurriedly, chose his words before speaking. "Where do you'sss think'ssss he isss?" He hissed meekly, as he followed him. Although, Snake was unaware of how uncomfortably close he was in reality. As Ace's cheeks reddened, both from anger and embarrassment from the closeness of his friend, he wasted no time moving to his left, a few feet away from his slithering pal before snapping at him.

"If I knew where he was at, do you honestly think we'd be out here calling for him?" He retorted, glaring in the young boy's direction. Snake pouted, giving him a sad look that made Ace's face twist into deep guilt, before shuffling back to the rest of the gang. The head of the Gangreen Gang took note of his crude actions towards innocent, young Snake and reminded himself to apologize upon arriving home. He curtly nodded to himself as he continued to walk forward, feeling a twinge in his chest.

From behind, William, or as they preferred to call him, _Big Billy_, seemed to be the most worried for Little Arturo's safety. "ARTURO! WHERE ARE YOU!" He hollered, causing Ace to turn to him briefly and glare for his loudness. "PFFFT!" Grubber added.

No one gave the slightest bit of attention to that.

Ace, upon sighing, continuously swung the flashlight back and forth, searching aimlessly for Arturo in the dark fog of the morning. "Arturo?" He called out, cupping his mouth with his free hand. "Where are you'sss" Snake finished. The rest of the gang was just about ready to give up, since they had been searching for almost an hour. Usually, he would show up after his name's been called 3 times or less. But, now he was nowhere to be found, and Ace hated to admit this, but he was worried and _scared_.

Arturo was the youngest of the group, being 14 years of age, and he was always getting into trouble. Ace looked at him as a child, which he was, and didn't want him to get hurt.

"Come on'sss gangs'sss, let'sss go home." Snake reluctantly stated as they all, including an anxious Ace, turned to head back to the direction f their makeshift home. Although, before getting the chance to turn and follow in the footsteps of his family, Big Billy's attention was captured by a strange object he hadn't seen before in the dumpster. Of course, anyone would assume it to be a piece of trash just dropped their, since this _was _a junkyard, but Billy had to get a better look since his creative mind just couldn't let this thing go unexplored.

He glanced over his wide shoulders, watching as the rest of the group disappeared further and further into the fog. He frowned, turning back to the unknown object before jogging (if you can call it that) up to the unidentified item buried under a stack of trash and garbage to get a closer view.

Grubber, noticing Big Billy wasn't next to him, made his ungodly noise, as well as spitting all over the backs of the people directly in front of him. They turned to him in disgust and confusion, and on more than one occasion they had tried to get him to find another way of alerting them when something important came up. He had said 'yes' but this incident proved that he hadn't taken anything they said into mind.

Grubber roughly pointed over at Big Billy, who was pulling away pieces of metal like there was no tomorrow. "What'sss he doin'?" Snake asked, pulling at Ace's coat again. "I don't know…" He murmured under his breath, expecting the worst but hoping for the best. As soon as Ace saw his partner in crime digging up under the garbage, one thought flung into his mind; a very unwanted thought.

He hoped that under that pile of trash, Arturo would be there, sleeping in that awkward position he had taken a liking to. He had always enjoyed sleeping in weird places. Whether it was a deflated airbag or even a dog's bed, he'd find comfort in _it_ rather than a soft warm _human _bed. He'd find comfort in any other place, as long as it wasn't normal.

But the wish was squashed like an ant under someone's foot as Big Billy pulled something up and screamed, stumbling and falling backwards in the midst. Ace watched as the rest of the gang rushed over and had the same reaction. He pushed up his glasses, cursing as he rushed over to the scene, only to have stopped dead in his tracks. He had never seen anything so terrifyingly horrible.

"No…"

Pulling off his dark shades, he stared blankly at the sight in front of him. The screams and cries of the rest of the group behind him were drowned out by his heart's wounded beats. Silence fell over him as he fell to his knees. It was all in slow motion. It was as if the world itself had stopped turning around to grieve over the sight as well. And all that was left was the rain beating down hard on his back. Suddenly, everything else didn't matter anymore.

"NO!"

A loud thunder clapped in the sky. He didn't plan on going to sleep today, anyway.

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><p><strong>This story will be uploaded two chapters at a time within a two day period. Meaning, the next chapter will be up within a two day span. After that, the third chapter will be updated within two <em>weeks<em>.**

**Once the third is added, the fourth will be added to the story within two days. And so on, and so forth. So expect the chapters to be posted within two days of each other each time this story's updated. (Confused yet?)**

**Thank you for reading our story so far! ...Reviews are welcomed, too! (Insert hopeful smiley face here)**


	2. Victim

**2: _Cry _~ _FFicReader_**

Townsville had always been most peaceful in the winter, there was never anyone outside and it was never noisy. That was mostly because the grey tinted sky, the pouring rain and low temperature wasn't inviting anyone to leave the comforting warmth of their own homes. It was getting dark, and it was only 4:00 PM.

In the Utonium Household, the towns' three heroes sat in their living room. One reading an encyclopedia for "the fun of it", one drawing herself, her sisters and her father neatly in pencil, shading away aimlessly and ignoring all that went on around her as she lost herself in her portrait, and the last girl, slumped over the couch, bored out of her avid mind. Buttercup groaned. She needed something to do before she actually died of boredom.

She looked down at her arms, rubbing the places where there had just been bruised. They were all cleared up, and the Gangreen Gang would pay for what they did to her. How were they even that strong? She sighed and moaned, sitting up casually before sobbing loudly.

"I'm so bored! This weather sucks, why can't the Professor pull something together that'll make the sun actually come up!" Buttercup complained. Bad weather conditions always drove her nuts, and it was always her sisters that got an earful of it. "Buttercup, not this again." Blossom sighed, throwing the book over to the opposite side of the couch. She, too, wished that Professor would create some sort of weather changing experiment thing, just so he could make her middle sister shut up. But, the Professor had been downstairs all night yesterday and was still in bed sleeping. Of course, Buttercup wanted him to wake up and entertain them all, but the poor man needed some rest to get his brain up and running.

He came downstairs early that morning, proclaiming that he was well-rested and could prepare breakfast. They were concerned about him, because not only did he look like he had been thrown into a dirt pile after getting ran over by four trucks, but he also looked scared and worried. They forced him to go back to sleep, and he did after a brief argument. (Which he lost almost immediately.) Of course, he was only concerned for their safety and well-being, but the siblings were fine, and they had healed quickly. No need for him to worry about them any longer.

"Why don't you go play one of your video games, like, _The Legend of Zelda _or something?" Blossom suggested, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "If you haven't noticed, Red, I've beat all my games more than once and I'm waiting for a few new ones." Buttercup replied calmly. Despite the serenity in her voice, Blossom could hear the attitude dripping from it. She inwardly sighed, knowing that this was one girl she couldn't win against when it came down to scenarios similar to this one.

"Why couldn't a monster attack the town or something! It would be so much more fun than sitting here all winter." The green-clad girl explained. Though her eyebrows arched themselves as she watched a pair of light pink eyes widen. "So you would want to put the lives of others in danger just so you could _'have fun'_?" The leader questioned.

Buttercup could've sworn her own brain had just imploded behind her skull. Never had she been so dumbfounded from someone's _stupidity._ "Of course I don't want to, stupid! I just want some action-" "I'm not stupid! I'm smarter than you, so what does that make you? You incompetent-" Bubbles had been plugging her ears as the two sisters went at each others throats for the last 5 minutes, and she couldn't even put the finishing touch on what she claimed to be her "best drawing ever". It wasn't long before she finally snapped.

"Will you two just _shut. Your. Traps!_ I'm sick of you two always fighting! I'm trying to do my work over here, and you girls are making that really hard for me!" Silence fell around them as the two PowerPuffs looked at their blue sibling. "And, Buttercup, could you turn off that damned TV! It's bad for the environment! Plus, you're making the electric bill bigger." She barked. She hasn't lost her temper that much since she was 5 and her sisters told her she was too weak to train in the training room at level 10...

Buttercup's taken back expression twisted into a scowl, as she glowered at her blue-eyed sister. Bubbles had retrieved her sketch pad and resumed her drawing, ignoring the constant stares from her siblings. She breathed in and out of her nose trying to calm herself.

"Why don't _you_ just turn it off then?" Buttercup questioned. Still looking directly at her drawing book, she shook her head in annoyance. "Because, Buttercup, I'm _drawing_." Blossom examined her younger sisters as they bickered. "Oh, so you care about your drawing more than the environment?" That did it. Bubbles opened her mouth, ready to let Buttercup receive an earful, when their new-and-improved hotlines rang. The girls had upgraded from a little preschool-like telephone to three individual high-tech cell phones. These phones were programmed to ring at the same time if the police department and/or the mayor called, but they could also ring separately, if only one or a certain 'Puff was needed. In this case, all three of them were to report to Townsville's police department.

Bubbles briefly closed her mouth before reopening it. "I'll go tell the Professor that we're leaving." She said as she zipped off, leaving a blue streak in her wake.

Buttercup jumped at the chance to answer her cell phone. Blossom let a low growl escape her throat as her younger sister took the call. But, holding back her tongue, she, joined by Bubbles who had already returned from upstairs, approached her as she listened to the policeman ramble through the phone. All they could manage to hear, other than a muffled male voice, was Buttercup responding with a "Yes", "Hmm", "I see", followed by her hanging up. Buttercup pursed her lips, turning to her sisters.

"Girls," she paused, her sisters looked intently at her as she continued. "Little Arturo was murdered early this morning."

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><p>They arrived at the police station, where they were greeted by the head police chief, Paul Derrick. "Good afternoon, girls." Mr. Derrick exclaimed as he walked up to them. Each girl said their salutations, and went on to discuss the reason that they were called. "What happened?" Blossom was the first to speak up afterwards. Her blue sister curtly nodded while her green sister stared at him expectedly. Mr. Derrick back at the girls, his brown eyes watching them steadily as he tried to gather the right words to say. "As you girls know, Arturo de la Guerra was murdered, but we can't find any leads on who could've done it." He concluded, answering all of their thoughts, but not enough to satisfy them. He proceeded to lead them to his office, offering them each seats, and continued his explanation on the unfortunate events. "From the look of the crime scene, and the, uh, <em>damages<em> to his body-" Bubbles cringed, just thinking about what the stern man could've been implying. "-the cause of death was not from some sort of 'fight gone wrong' with someone- It's too macabre to be a fight." He pushed his heavy glasses up onto his bearded face, his lips drawn into a thin line. "Who ever committed this had a very big problem with the victim. There's no way this is a random act of violence. We need you to help figure out who could've done this." He concluded, pulling out a rather large file envelope. After giving the girls time to collect themselves, he opened it, revealing the images from the crime scene.

Bubbles gasped, Buttercup winced, and Blossom drew a deep breath. The pink 'Puff calmly took the file, not hesitating to close it, and listened, along with her young sisters, as Paul explained everything that he and his fellow detectives knew. It didn't take long, for they, as they said, had no evidence of any kind. No footprints, no fingerprints, nothing. Who ever murdered Arturo de la Guerra was very careful, and made a smooth getaway. They had handled crimes like this one before. They knew if the culprit decided to kill someone else, that he or she would slip up, and they would slap the handcuffs on them without a second thought.

Paul had finished talking to the girls. They said their farewells and hurried towards the exit, slightly glad to be able to go home and look over the report that Blossom held in her arms. "Can you believe someone would do that?" Bubbles chimed as soon as they stepped foot outside. She had always been the most caring, even if the person she was worried for was an arch enemy. That had to be her greatest weakness, and one day it would be her downfall as well. (As much as she hated to admit it, it was true, and Bubbles herself couldn't disagree.) Despite her sisters, and her own, knowledge of that fact, they didn't try to change it, for it was who she was. The girls all knew what each others biggest weakness' were, and they accepted them. Buttercup's downfall would be her need to be the strongest; to never show fear, compassion, not even_ love_. To always stand out as the brave one, and to be confident in battle. But inside she was scared. Scared of losing her family, scared of losing to someone else. Scared of being weak. So she would never admit defeat.

Blossom's would be her stubborn demeanour, and her hatred for being wrong. She _couldn't_ be wrong. She knew that her attitude could be changed, but she didn't want it to change. She was born with it, and it was a part of her. Though she had no fear, and no worries, because no one could match her intelligence. But there was only one person that could go above and beyond her, and that was the only person who could actually break her down from the inside, and then beat her down on the outside. And that person was…

Buttercup slightly jumped as the back pocket of her lime green shorts vibrated. Bubbles turned to Blossom, pulling out her yellow and purple cell phone and answered it, followed by Buttercup, then Blossom. They were met by a very familiar voice. One that they had grown to love, even if he could be very annoying. The mayor of the city had called, sounding rather alarmed as he raspy old voice rang out throughout the girls' ears.

"The Gangreen Gang are destroying things at the park-" The mayor paused before adding, "-again," to the end of his incomplete question. "We need you girls to stop them before they hurt someone." "We're on it, Mr. Mayor." Bubbles squealed and they each hung up the phone.

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><p>At the park waiting for them were the green skinned boys, standing in their usual positions. For once, Grubber was the first to 'speak' as the girls touched down directly in front of the gang leader. Spit went flying all over Ace, who was, kindly, shielding the girls from the dreaded saliva. Bubbles giggled upon witnessing his expression of disgust as he turned sharply to face Grubber. But, holding his tongue, returned to the PowerPuffs. "Well, well, well. Look what we have here." Ace exclaimed darkly. His voice was at a low growl and he wasn't wearing his shades. His eyes were cold and dead, mirroring his tone.<p>

Buttercup took a step back, getting ready to fight. She wanted to even the score between them for what he done to her. Ace didn't even bat an eyelash at her, much to her dismay. Instead, he shook his head, his eyes briefly closing and he continued to stare blankly at the trio. "I'm not fighting you." He inquired as he put his hands up defensively. He looked to his feet sorrowfully. The Puffs` were taken back, but still remained aware. "I just want to know why you didn't save him." He whined in a hushed voice. Blossom seemed annoyed and concerned all at once, and took a cautioned step towards him.

She stared at him long and hard. Studying his expression and body language. Trying to find a flaw within his façade. But to no avail, she relaxed her tense muscles ever so slightly, and spoke.

"I have a duty to protect the citizens of Townsville, and-" "Then how come Lil' Arturo'ssss dead? You ssssayin' we ain't citizensss of thiss town?" Snake interrupted. He looked more than upset, and his never looked so downtrodden in his life. Blossom turned to Snake, and unsympathetically disagreed with his notion.

Grubber spat some more.

Next in line for a speaking role was Buttercup. "It's not our fault, we couldn't just randomly come running over to save him- we didn't even hear anything that would indicate any kind of trouble, so how the hell were we supposed to know!" She yelled. Blossom simply held up her hand, preventing Green from spitting out any more profanities to the green gang leader. "What she's trying to say is, we weren't aware of the incident, so we couldn't help him." Blue interjected. "I'm sorry for your loss, but that's no good reason to attack a park flooding with children!" She continued. Ace's expression softened. "I'm sorry about that, too." He added, clearly not directing the comment towards anyone. Blossom felt a twinge in her heart, if only for a hurried moment. She wrapped her arms around herself, and took a deep breath. "Look, Ace, how about you give us all the information you can about Arturo's passing, we can help bring justice to you all." She offered. Big Billy groaned out of misery at the mention of 'Arturo's passing', and frowned. "Fine. But we don't really know much. All I know is that he left the hut to use the washroom, which is outside. He never came back. We went to search for him and then, we found him. He was butchered. We don't know when or how. All I remember is a lot of blood, and only half of a body, sliced down the middle." Bubbles shuddered, remembering the images from the crime scene. Too gory for her innocent mind to handle.

"It wasss horrible!" Snake mourned. Blossom looked sadly at him, and they thanked the Gangreen Gang for sharing what information they could. But as Blossom turned to follow her sisters, for they had already taken off, she felt a rough arm grab her. She whipped around only to come face to face with a pair of cold dead eyes. She stared deep into them questioningly. "Please," he begged, "find the killer, and bring justice the Arturo de la Guerra's name."

Hot tears stained his pale green cheeks.


	3. Premonition

**3: _Next_ ~_ xX3B.r.o.k.e.n.3Xx_**

* * *

><p>"I just don't get it." Blossom exclaimed while standing from her carnation pink bed. Her sisters sat around her in a triangular formation. Bubbles looked at her, watched in silence as her endless rant of confusion and frustration dragged on. Buttercup seemed as if she couldn't be any more bored.<p>

"He was crying! Ace, of all people, was crying!" She announced in disbelief. Buttercup's eyebrow arched for an unknown reason. Perhaps she was still absorbing the sudden actions that Ace had taken when they were absent. "Well, Blossom, he _did_ just lose someone close to him. You would cry, too. Hell, even I would cry if I lost any of you guys, or the professor." Buttercup peeped. Blossom paused, giving a strange look with a blank expression. "Yeah, I don't know what I would do without you all, either." Bubbles admitted as she straightened from her crouched position. Blossom looked at her, too. "I completely need you guys." She said while grabbing Buttercup around the neck into a chokehold position. Red and Green laughed loudly as Bubbles joined them for a group hug.

The scenarios that tend to bring them together are quite awkward, as Buttercup suddenly pointed out. "We had a family moment because Lil' Arturo was murdered. Am I the only one that feels a bit morbid from that?" She inquired, arching a thin, clean-shaven eyebrow. Her older and younger siblings looked at each other with oblivious expressions. Buttercup did raise a good point; a point that was, without a doubt, sinking in on them. Bubbles felt slightly guilty, like a jerk. Blossom felt a hollowed pit in her stomach as she slowly started to feel something creep up on her.

Like a predator on Halloween, going around and scaring little children for the fun of it.

Something bad was doomed to pursue its course, and it was going to reach its destination in only a minor amount of time.

Blossom felt uneasy, unsure, frightened. And without using her heart or her mind or her sense of logic and reasoning, but instead her gut-feeling and instincts, she blurted it out like a word-vomit.

"Something bad is gonna happen." Her sisters looked at her incredulously.

* * *

><p>Ace sat in his rusty old shack. It was barren and rotten. There was barely any warmth; the wind would trample through the cracks, every now and then sending a chill up his spine. The roof had an annoying leak from the rain that passed over yesterday. The smell of the place with old, musty, and yet it bared the scent of a pine forest after the rain. It was crisp and cold in his nostrils, the smell was stiff.<p>

It reminded him of the past days, and the days to come. It made him think, if only a small amount.

What happened to Arturo de la Guerra was no accident, obviously. But the main interrogation was why?

Why did someone do this? Was there a reason to hurt the member of the group that literally did nothing? Arturo was the kind hearted one- him and Billy! Why were they the unfortunate ones? Even Grubber would have been a more likely target, seeing as though he was a nuisance with all the saliva the jetted out of his mouth. No, Grubber was a good guy. Just because he can't help the fact that he spits everywhere doesn't mean he deserved the unfortunate, disgusting, violent fate that Arturo was unlucky to meet. If anyone should be harmed in the cruelest, most foul way, it should be him and Snake.

No, Snake was afraid of him and lived in his shadow, following his every move. Snake _was_ his shadow. He followed under his orders; the words that rolled off his tongue were the words that were forced into his mouth. Snake was innocent as the rest. It was only Ace that deserved the punishment.

"Why'd this happen….?" He mumbled to himself in a low, weak growl. His gang mates turned to him in a reassuring way, but not Big Billy-no, he was done in by self-loathing, for he sat in the corner still, motionless, away from the rest of his bitter family. He was completely quiet and didn't pay attention to anything anymore. Snake tried to comfort him at a time, but to no plausible avail. Billy was taking this the worst.

"It'ssss not your faultssss…." Snake hissed, his forked tongue slithering like a snake. The young boy's animalistic appearance and obscure lisp was what earned him his title. He was small and thin, moved in a way that resembled that of a snake's. It was common for people to believe he's a creature, not a human like the rest of the Gangreen Gang. Even his friends didn't realize he was entirely human. But Ace knew. He knew him more than he knew himself, and it was proven point.

Ace looked at him, his shades weren't on his eyes and he could see him perfectly clear for once.

"I know it's not, but I just wish it was." He sighed, looking away from his serpent-like companion.

"That way I would have a good reason to hate myself like a do right now." He admitted with a fairly exaggerated sigh. Snake's expression softened, transitioning from sadness to worry in a blink of an eye.

They sat in silence for the remainder of the time, the time that they lost track of. But Ace knew how long it could've been, for Snake had fallen asleep in his lap. He couldn't help but smile at this action; he had to admit that Snake looked as innocent and cute as a sleeping child. Then he made another brief discovery; _everyone_ was asleep. Ace was the only one awake. He beheld the view from the window, it was midnight; he should've been asleep as well. But he couldn't, seeing as though his mind was clouded with thunderous questions, and no possible answers. Too many things flashed through his mind, and he knew that it needed to be empty for him to sleep like a regular person. Despite all this, yet another inquiry entered his mind: "How did they all manage to sleep- even Big Billy?"

A gust of wind blew from out of nowhere, sending the ultimate shiver through Ace's pale, brittle frame. "What the hell?" He breathed, cautiously removing the young boy from around his waist and making his way towards the entrance of his "home". He stalked clumsily, disregarding the necessary steps to make little to no noise, and he threw the door open just in time to see a figure brush passed his door. He nearly flew back, fear overwriting his actions. But he contained, and poked his head out the door.

To his left was an open path, a zigzagging path leading from the junkyard into the wild and busy city. The city was some distance away. The wind seemed to be coming from there. He looked questioningly towards the sky. There was a storm coming, it was too obvious; the dark, ominous clouds pregnant with drops of heavy rain- possibly thunder and lightning as well.

He shrugged, turning to his right. Nothing but endless piles of trash of course. He sighed, turning to go back inside, but from the corner of his eye, there it was again: a figure, shadowy and large scurrying behind the shack. With his shades on he would've never caught it. He stood unknowingly for a second, conflicting whether or not he should follow.

He followed.

He slowly rounded the corner, being cautious with the placement of his feet, not wanting to make noise by stepping on a piece of filth. This was relatively hard, considering that there was nothing _but_ filth everywhere he looked. But he was able to maintain. The figure came to a halt; he could hear the rustling noises of what seemed to be an old worn out newspaper. He slowly made his way, ready to pounce and attack his enemy, the trespasser. He gathered every centimeter of bravery and strength he could muster up and jumped viciously and the corner with a loud distinguishing cry.

The porcupine didn't so much as bat an eyelash- it was too busy nesting in a newspaper it had dug out from the piles of garbage surrounding them both. Ace backed his face away, his eyebrows furrowing and he let out an exasperate sigh of relief. "Oh…" He said in a daze standing upward from his bent over position.

A large, heavy object came colliding with the back of his head, disorientating him. He fell, whipping around to see what hit him.

Not what, _who._ His attacker was holding a large metal bat and brought it up above his head, preparing for a fatal swing down into his face. Ace gasped, and rolled just before the bat could connect with his face. During this time he could see clearly that there was an old rusty nail protruding from the top of the bat. His eyes widened, his attacker drug the bat through the dirt and brought it back up over his head for another swing. Ace shot up to his feet and ran straight back to the shack, gasping for greedy breaths. He knew his assailant was right behind him, he could hear it, he could _feel_ it. He slammed through the door, yelling in a panic. "Guys!" He screamed, everyone shot up just in time to hear the sound of a blunt impact, as if someone just broke a piece of wood on the floor, and just in time to see Ace suddenly fall to his knees and then flat on his face. Something long and thick was sticking out of his head. Snake looked closely at the bat sticking gruesomely out of his head, a pool of crimson fluid gradually appearing around his head. Snake nearly shrieked at the sight, as did everyone else, but a figure at the door stopped them. They looked up in dread at the person standing creepily at the door frame.

They knew that whoever that was, was the cause of Ace's demise, and they knew that they were next.


	4. Misunderstood

**1 Week **

* * *

><p>Professor Utonium got up late that night. Something unusual had woken him up, and as he tossed and turned in bed he unequivocally took note that he wouldn't be falling asleep again. He sighed with annoyance, positioning himself at the edge of the bed, slipping on his house shoes and robe. He walked downstairs, not needing more than the kitchen light to see his way. The sun was coming out; it must've been a bit later than he had previously thought. He no longer felt the need of sleep anymore as he turned on the coffee maker. He opened the curtains as they danced in the breeze, only to reveal that it definitely was later than he thought. The sun was shining across the town, and he took in the glorious sight. There was nothing better than the sight of Townsville in the early morning, when little to no people was outside. The birds sang a monotone song as they fluttered by the window, searching for items to build their homes. He smiled to himself, running quickly back upstairs to get his watch. As he passed by, the sound of quiet snoring coming from a room stopped him. He looked at the pink door to his left, his eldest child's bedroom.<p>

He beamed at the thought of his children, his little girls. They'd grown so much; he was scared that he couldn't call them his little girls anymore. But he knew this day would come. He always knew it would happen eventually. He built a timeline in his mind years ago. Just a few days ago Bubbles was learning how to ride her bike with and without training wheels, now she has her driver's license. Even though she could fly, she figured that she could try out all the things she would be missing and all the things she'd do if she were a normal girl.

Blossom was only a college student. That was enough to say, she would be moving out in only a matter of time. "Gone into the world by herself…" The professor thought, smiling sadly.

And Buttercup finished her last year of high school, soon to be following her older sister's footsteps, and Bubbles would be following Buttercup, as well.

It was only a matter of time before one by one they left to pursue their own lives. They would no longer need him, and this was a thought that hurt the most. But, shrugging it off, Prof. U. continued on his way, not wanting to unknowingly throw himself into a great depression with the saddening thoughts course through his brain. He stretched and yawned, enjoying the satisfying pop of his joints. He looked at the clock upon reaching his destination. 6:14 AM, it glowed in bright green numbers. It wouldn't be long before Blossom woke up, too. She was always an early riser.

He opened his curtains, and grabbed a towel, setting up for a refreshing morning shower. But first things first, he added as a side note as he went back downstairs. After that little mini adventure down memory lane, he could really go for some coffee right about now. As he made the pot, and sat down drinking it, he turned on the television. (Making sure the volume was low as to not disturb the girls.) The familiar thud on the door caught his attention. The newspaper was here, what a beautiful start to the day.

* * *

><p>It was now 7:00, and Blossom was surely awake. She got up, following her daily routine of brushing her hair, brushing her teeth, washing her face and taking a shower, not particularly in that order. She felt fresh and nice as she made her way downstairs, though she was half expecting her beloved father to be downstairs working aimlessly on yet another experiment. But alas, he was actually in the living area, staring in her direction expectantly. She gave him a questioning look, walking over to him and sitting next to him on the black leather couch. (It was Buttercup's idea, she had a thing for decorating and she was actually good at it. Professor had allowed her to decorate the whole house, which was no mistake.)<p>

He passed the newspaper in her direction. The front cover was staring back at her. This wasn't news she wanted to hear. She covered her mouth on instinct, shock and disbelief. The headline laughed at her face as if to rub it in. Rub in the fact that she couldn't keep a promise.

"_Gangreen Gang Found Dead In Junkyard"_

Blossom nearly died herself.

* * *

><p>"It's on the news." Bubbles announced to her father and siblings as she watched them scramble into the room. The all watched anxiously as they listened to the reporter talk with a smooth voice.<p>

"_Early last night the bodies of the Gangreen Gang, a local gang that has been terrorizing citizens for years, were discovered by a man who went out reportedly searching through the junkyard for metal scraps. The bodies have been identified but no possible suspects have been released. The police say it was a random act of violence, no information has been revealed to the public as of yet—" _

Blossom sighed, rubbing her temples. The sudden happenings were giving her a mild headache. She turned to her green clad sister, asking for any remaining Tylenol that she may have had. Buttercup jogged upstairs to fetch her some as she went to the kitchen for a glass of iced water, to refresh herself as well. She recently discovered a devastating thirst that randomly washed over her. Blossom figured it was from shock, shock because it was an unbelievable happening. The Gangreen Gang were strong enough to take the PowerPuffs on and potentially could've won had the girls not fled.

She was overcome by sadness at the same time. She made a promise to Ace and his gang, a promise is never to be broken in Blossom's eyes. She always scolded people who broke their promises, and now she'd become one of them. Bubbles caught on to her weary demeanour.

"Cheer up, Blossom. It's not your fault, it's not anyone's fault… Except maybe the person that did this… But we'll catch them and lock them up for what they've done, no problems." She smiled in an assuring way in her older sister's direction. Blossom sighed, trying hard to believe her sibling. Buttercup came down shortly after, with a bottle of Aspirin, she had no more Tylenol left over. "Here," she said, throwing the bottle lightly towards Blossom's area. "I had no Tylenol but that should do, right?" Blossom nodded fervidly, assuring her sister that it was fine. She careless opened the bottom and took two pills in her hand. As she set the bottle down she realized that her palms had become sweaty, and the capsules were melting. She quickly gulped down the water, throwing the pills into the mix with the tilt of her head, and swallowed. Her stomach churned a bit, taking in the medication. She sighed, rubbing her temples. The fast acting relief wasn't relieving fast enough. So she leaned back into the leather couch, feeling the fabric embrace her. Her eyes shut and she groaned. The early morning wasn't the best time to receive such news. She made a mental note to never let anyone tell her trivial things when she just woke up, she obviously couldn't be bothered at a certain time of the day. Her sisters knew this before she did.

They knew when to challenge her; it was something they discovered over time, but it didn't take long. Blossom was early to sleep and early to rise; in between those times she was alert and fast on her feet, all defences up. But in the mornings she gets headaches when threatened, and before she slept she got stressed and annoyed. Anyone who stayed with her for a while would catch on to that fast. There was a reason why their catch phrase was "Saving the World before Bedtime," it was because Blossom would literally _kill_ you had you interfered with her sleep.

No villain was dumb enough to mess with her before that time. If anything, they'd do petty crimes, like steal a lady's purse or rob a donut shop; something she knew she could just swoop down and fix in a mere matter of seconds. The last time someone tried to do something big, _Blossom_ almost got in trouble. After that incident, no one dared to pull any stunts around that time.

Buttercup threw herself on the chair next to her pink sister. Upon seeing her look of despair, Buttercup nudged her arm with her elbow. "Hey, you okay?" She asked with a blank tone. Though she was always the toughest, she cared about the feelings of others.

Well, at least her family's feelings, anyway.

Though she never showed it, and didn't plan on showing it, she loved her sisters and her father, and would never do anything to harm them in anyway, physically and emotionally. There were times when Buttercup admittedly wanted to hug them, without a reason behind it. Most of the time she held back, but sometimes it was necessary to swallow her pride. She loved them, like any family would. And she was proud to say they were her family. Seeing Blossom like this made her wonder; why is she so worked up? One of her great enemies – the enemies that nearly killed her just a while ago, were… _defeated_ for lack of a better word, and here she was, sulking like they were her close friends. Bubbles seemed to understand, but come on, that's Bubbles. She was sympathetic to everyone and everything around her. But it's not like having a pure heart isn't a good thing; it's just that she keeps forgiving and that could end up hurting her in multiple ways. Buttercup was a bit jealous of her sister's inability to hold a grudge, but at the same time she wanted to be able to hold a grudge and forgive, too.

Blossom replied with a weary nod, and sat up to drink more water. All the while their father just watched them, uneasy, worried. He felt bad that he really couldn't do anything about this; he didn't understand a single thing when it came to being a superhero, obviously. But it still felt selfish for him to sit and do nothing as his daughters struggled with a solution to this problem. He did the one thing he could do at a time like this; he stood up and turned off the TV nonchalantly.

As if on cue, each girl looked at him curiously. He simply sat back down. He didn't want them to be bothered by the news report, saying the same dull sentences over and over again. They needed a break and the needed breakfast. He went to the kitchen and pulled some ingredients out of the fridge, smiling to himself because he knew they were watching him, and they knew what they had to do. Each sibling looked at each other, as if checking to see if they knew what to do, then they all sprang into action.

Buttercup was the first to start yelling, but only by a half-second. Her sisters joined in almost at the exact times. "Dad, it's okay! We'll make breakfast you don't have to-" "I'll grab the milk you just rest-" "Trust me, we'll make food on our own you had a rough day I'll take it from here!" They flew over the furniture in a rush to keep their father,a _horrible_ chef, out of the kitchen and away from sharp objects.

He laughed as they escorted him out of the kitchen, preparing the meal themselves. Of course they'd do it all together, teamwork was their life. He couldn't help but smile proudly as he watched his creations, his _angels_, flutter around the kitchen trying to make sure he didn't attempt to come back and offer help if they were taking too long. As a joke, he called out to them, optioning assistance. The reply was panicked and in unison, a declination. He chuckled.

His plan to lighten up the previous mood was a success.

* * *

><p>The afternoon came quickly. The city was busy and the sun hung high above the clouds, and people were scattered everywhere you looked. The noise was annoying to say the least, but everyone could put up with it; you kind of have to if you live in the city. Bubbles had gone for a walk, claiming that this day was nice for a walk. She wasn't in the wrong here; the air was fresh and the temperature was perfect. It wasn't humid and stuffy, but there wasn't a tornado-like wind ripping through. It was peaceful, and Bubbles used that as an excuse. In all truth, she left because she was in desperate need of fresh air, but also she needed a break from everything going on. Not just the Gangreen incident, no, but even some incidents going around school; good and bad. She just wanted to escape from it all, and feel free. Just like she used to feel when she was a young naïve girl, without a care in the world. She enjoyed that feeling, like walking on air. So she smiled. She smiled with a spring in her step as she made her way to wherever the cool breeze would take her. It was her job to float aimlessly, she was Bubbles, and she'd be like bubbles in the wind.<p>

Blossom and Buttercup chose to stay home, being the hard workers that they are. Once again, Blossom was chugging down a bottle of water, feeling like she was on fire. Buttercup just sat with her lips pursed. Professor was in the lab yet again, leaving his children upstairs in the living area. The two sat in silence, the TV on the news, listening closer than ever before. (Well, at least for Buttercup.) They wanted every detail from the news before the police decided to call them in again. They wanted to be one step ahead of everyone else, so they could solve this predicament quicker. "I think we've gotten everything they know…" Blossom spoke up, averting her guys from the television set to her green clad sister. "Yeah, I bet we did. We've been listening to the same thing for like, a year now." She exaggerated, as usual.

Something caught Blossom's eye as her sister spoke, rambling on about how they'd catch and "destroy" the culprit. Blossom had realized mid-conversation (one-sided) that it's usually around this time that the chief of the police department would call them, but… She started to wonder, out loud. "Buttercup, don't you think it's odd that the department hasn't called us yet?" She cut her off in mid-sentence. Buttercup paused for a second, pouting upon seeing that her sister wasn't listening to her from the start, but she got over that as she responded by looking at the phones, each lying on the table. A pink one and a green one with a keychain on it, Bubbles had taken hers with her for obvious reasons. She sighed, thinking of any possible theory on why they hadn't received a message of any kind related to the incident.

"Maybe they already figured something out that wasn't made public, and they don't need us yet. I don't think we should worry about it too badly, that means less work for us, right?" Buttercup admitted. Blossom just scoffed at Buttercup's self-centered, laziness, but at the same time she did raise a decent point. Surely the team could have not needed them at the moment, and if that was the case, she was glad that the city didn't rely completely on them like they seemed to. Maybe Buttercup was right after all; maybe it was a bit easy on them to not have to fall at the city's feet every time they needed something. Maybe it's time the city realized that these are simple things that they can do on their own, and that the girls needed breaks for personal time and life. Maybe this was a break through…

"I guess you're right, I won't stress over it." She said, smiling at her sister. Buttercup smirked back, and her response was changing the channel to MTV, to which Blossom bitterly dejected.

* * *

><p>Bubbles had picked flowers from the park, without knowing fully what she would be doing with them. Her mind had a mind of its own, and she just obliged. As she started, heading towards the busy downtown area, she noticed how the mood started to change. Men in suits, woman in dressy clothing, almost everyone was on a cell phone of some sort and walked carelessly, not caring to say "Hello" or "Excuse me," they just crashed into her and gave her dirty looks as if she was the one in the wrong. Though she didn't feel that way, she still muttered an apology knowing she shouldn't have to. The area was scattered with honking cares, busy streets flooding with unmoving traffic, people talking and blabbing, it was a noise polluting cycle of work and dullness. Bubbles didn't understand what she was doing in a place like this. Large office buildings and banks were arranged formally in lines, decorating any area that didn't have any busy streets or busy people, but alas, the people and streets surrounded it. She was a bit scared; almost all the scary men and women looked down at her like she didn't belong. She knew she that already, she was just trying to get out. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered; did they not know who she was?<p>

If a super-powered young woman saved your life, wouldn't you at least show some signs of respect to her? If she was the reason you were still alive to this day, wouldn't you at least say "Good afternoon" or "Sorry for bumping into you like that"? But no, the emotionless machines would carry on around her like it was nothing. She just sighed and continued on her way; down "Sorry Path" as she now liked to call it.

It was only a matter of time before she realized exactly what she was doing. The sky over "Sorry Path" was gloomy, resembling its people, and she found herself gliding through the dumps, trudging through dirt and muck and filth, hoping desperately not to be cut or scraped by anything for it would most certainly get infected. As she made her way on and on through the never-ending trash, she spotted something far off in the distance. A house shaped item. As she got closer she could see the full thing.

It was a small metal hut that looked more like a tin can than a shelter, the red rusty door, more like a sheet of metal hanging loosely on the side of the "house" was open and blowing in the breeze, looking like it was about to fly off. The curtains in a cut out window were torn and patched, covered in caked on dirt and grime, various stains and bacteria. The roof, she noticed, seemed to be the only sturdy part of the house, and even it was blowing in the breeze. She almost did a double take as she stood in front of it. Was this really where they lived? A wave over sadness rushed in as she realized, maybe they weren't bad after all. Maybe they were just doing those things to live; she knew she would resort to such things if it meant living. She smiled sadly, placing the flowers on the ripped doormat in front of the door. Grabbing a piece of scrap, which wasn't hard to get because she was literally surrounded by it, she carved a little writing in the thin floor below, just above the flowers-

_-Misunderstood _

Upon writing that, she curled up at the side of the Gangreen Gang's former place of residence, and cried.


	5. Inept

**5: _Nothing ~ _ **

Buttercup stared at the clock for what seemed like hours. Well, actually it was hours. She sighed, awaiting the return of the baby blue sister. Blossom had carelessly fell asleep, but Buttercup could undoubtedly understand why, and didn't think too much of it. Bubbles had left the household approximately 2 hours ago- now nearly 3, and there seemed to be no sign of her arrival at the moment.

Blossom fell asleep waiting for her, and the Professor came up from the lab, checking in with the two ladies twice before getting worn out in the lab and heading upstairs for a break and possibly, like Red, a well-deserved catnap. Buttercup's answer would be her ears, as they picked up on the undeniable sound of her father's rather loud snores.

She chuckled, imagining what he possibly looked like sprawled off on his bed. She'd always found it fun to mess with him during his 10 hours of bliss, but she knew he would probably need all the rest he could get, especially since he's been working exceptionally hard on whatever it was that he was working so feverously on downstairs, and for whatever reason.

She sighed inwardly, taking in the deficiency of that familiar blue streak.

The sudden blinking of a small orange and pink light caught her attention, and a second later a yellow and green one as well.

**–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–__________**

The phones buzzed and made noise, alerting Buttercup who jumped to wake Blossom up. A slight pang of fear and worry struck her; did something go wrong with Bubbles? The thought was shrugged off quickly, but still remained. Blossom answered her phone, as did she.

It was Paul Derrick, as usual. Buttercup noticed Blossom's demeanour waver as Derrick jumped right to the point, not going on with his usual small talk to keep the mood down. He sounded a bit panicked, his voice cracking a bit. He seemed tense, worried. The two Puffs knew immediately that something was wrong, and the fear washed over them quickly. Blossom sighed as he beckoned them to the station. She hung up the phone and told Buttercup to start on her way while she went to alert the Professor of their departure.

**–* –*A N O N* –*–**

When they arrived, they were shocked and relieved to find their blue sister there, sitting as if she'd been there for a while now.

Probably has.

As Mr. Derrick passed them the files containing the gruesome crime scene descriptions, a weary glance was exchanged between the two older teens, Bubbles didn't bother to look up, nor did she show any indication of acknowledgement, and no greeting of any kind. Something was wrong here, they all thought, even Bubbles.

Something was very wrong.

Ignoring the senses, but not forgetting them, each PowerPuff took a random sheet of paper, reading over the files with disgust. Neither of them had seen anything more inhumane and macabre. This murderer was indeed a psychopath, and it showed in each and every one of his brutal delinquencies.

* * *

><p><em><strong>File #162788<strong>_

**Name: **Ace D. Copular

**Age: **_17_

**DOB: **September 28, 1995

**Date of Death/Time: **August 17, 2012/3:56 am

**Injury Manner:** Murder

**Injury Type:** Criminal-Victim

**Injury Site:** Scrapyards

**Cause of Death: **Blood loss, Trauma

**Due to: **Blunt Impact to (Top of) Head from Spiked Bat, Laceration of Vertex of Scalp, Head Trauma, Blood loss, Slight Hemorrhage. Indecent Removal of Organs/Limbs (Eyes, Index and Pinky fingers on Each Arm)

* * *

><p><strong>File #162790<strong>

**Name: **William W. Williams

**Age: **14

**DOB: **June 4, 1998

**Date of Death/Time: **August 17, 2012/4:01 am

**Injury Manner: **Murder

**Injury Type: **Criminal-Victim

**Injury Site: **Scrapyards

**Cause of Death: **Blood loss, serious injury, hemorrhaging

**Due to: **Impalement through Chest Cavity (Metal Pole), Blunt Force to Head (Spiked Bat)

* * *

><p><strong>File #162793<strong>

**Name: **Grubber J. Gribberish (Possible Real Name Unknown)

**Age: **15

**DOB: **January 18, 1997

**Date of Death/Time: **August 17, 2012/4:10 am

**Injury Manner: **Murder

**Injury Type: **Criminal-Victim

**Injury Site: **Scrapyards

**Cause of Death: **Blood Loss

**Due to: **IndecentRemoval of Organs/Limbs (Tongue, Left Arm, Right Eye)

* * *

><p><strong>File #162791<strong>

**Name: **Sanford D. Ingleberry

**Age: **15

**DOB: **August 25, 1997

**Date of Death/Time: **August 17, 2012/4:04 am

**Injury Manner: **Murder

**Injury Type: **Criminal-Victim

**Injury Site: **Scrapyards

**Cause of Death: **Suffocation, Trauma

**Due to: **Metal Wires Cutting Off Oxygen, Blunt Force to (Left Side of) Head (Spiked Bat)

* * *

><p><strong>–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>_________**

_And then there was Arturo de la Guerra, whose details the police would rather not go through._

**–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–__________**

* * *

><p>Each Puff let out a sigh of displeasure, completely disgusted with their current assignment; go back to the scene and help police find any traces of DNA fibres to track down any potential suspects. Blossom looked pale in the face, her mind racing with thoughts.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Are the bodies going to be there? <em>That would be most traumatizing, but as quickly as the question emerged, the answer came too.

_No, they wouldn't be! The police had to have taken them to do the autopsy, and why would they send three teenaged girls to investigate such a scene anyway? It would be ludicrous! _Blossom almost made her smile visible. She cleared her throat to avoid any exaggerated attention and continued on their silent journey with two other policemen.

_Is the blood still there…? _Buttercup swallowed hard, wishing to remove any irrational thoughts from her livid mind. She was never the one to be afraid of such little things; she's seen blood many times. But there was a difference between a bloody nose or lip, and a blood-soaked floor from a victim who is now dead. She shuddered visibly, unlike her sister who tried her best to contain.

_There probably will be… This is a crime scene; we have to investigate thoroughly… Had the police cleaned up the place, we might've lost some important clues like fingerprints and all that stuff! I'm just gonna suck it up..._

Buttercup took in a deep breath, and glared at nothing in particular.

* * *

><p><em>I'm probably going to be sick…<em> Bubbles continued walking sheepishly, keeping her eyes forward as much as possible. The walk was long -brutally slow, and the mood was still. She reviled the stillness, wanting to at least ask a few questions about the current situation. But that would be irrelevant, being that she already had her responses explained back at the station. They thoroughly elucidated the following plan.

Get in. Get info. Get out.

_The three simple rules…_ Bubbles frowned at her feet, not sure what to expect. Redirecting her gaze back up, she noticed a small little hut slowly approaching. It's roof torn and swaying, the walls of rusted tin, the door sealed shut and the compressed welcome mat.

Her stomach rumbled in displeasure and she sighed; the overwhelming sense of Déjà vu.

* * *

><p>Police officers swung the door open. There was a trivial, but noticeable stench. It smelt of rotting tin and oldness, a strong metallic buzz to it as well. Blossom held back a gasp while Bubbles held back her gagging, turning away from the inside features of the shack. Buttercup shuddered, it being just as bad as she'd thought.<p>

Blood.

Nothing but bloodstains and splatters, greeting you as you walked in.

The police were crude; they worked with it every day. As they slowly walked into the shelter, careful not to abolish the crime scene, they pointed to each grotesque stain throughout the one room.

In front of the door, just a meter away from the door frame; that stain belonged to Ace D. Copular.

* * *

><p><em>While trying to alert the others, he ran to their home, calling out, alerting them to get up, something was wrong. But he was stopped mid-sentence when the killer got him, striking him on the head with a sickening crunch. With that, his 17 years of life were ended.<em>

* * *

><p>A few steps away, catching the wall; this stain belonged to Grubber.<p>

* * *

><p><em>He was completely frightened, and ran in the opposite direction towards the window. He was caught half way through and pulled back, pinned against the wall. His unfortunate spitting condition, abnormally figured arm and distracting lazy eye ticked off the criminal, which resulted in the removal of his tongue, left arm and right eye. <em>

* * *

><p>In the corner was William, frozen to one place in terror. This mess came from him.<p>

_He couldn't do anything but watch, watch as his friends were offed, one by one. He couldn't help it, he really couldn't. No matter how much perfect opportunities he came across, he couldn't just leave them there. They were his family, his life, the only ones he had. And if they had to go, he would too. The tears pooled down his face like waterfalls. He didn't want to escape if it meant living and remember their screams forever. So he sat, and waited for his turn, tensing as the dark menacing shadow slowly swamped him. _

_One swift movement and the pain in his chest was unbearable. _

* * *

><p>The final rather large pool belonged to Sanford D. Ingleberry. Directly above the crimson pool was an even more terrifying rope of jagged barbed wire, hanging from a hook on the ceiling.<p>

* * *

><p><em>He was dragged across the floor by his long obsidian hair, but he was putting up a fight. He was fighting for everything, for everyone, for Ace. He wanted so badly to help, so badly to avenge him and show him that he wasn't weak, that he was brave and strong. His last wishes remained clutched in his hands, his last tears leaked out. The last thing he'd seen was the satisfied look on his attacker's face. The last thing he felt was sharp cold steel poking into his neck; barbed wire, it was looped around his neck 3 times. He squeezed his eyes shut, wishing for it to be quick as he watched the attacker smirk at the hook on the ceiling, firmly gripping the opposing end of the barbed wire in his hands.<em>

* * *

><p>No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find any traces of evidence anywhere; even in Lil' Arturo's case, which the girls were not present for, they heard that the police in charge couldn't find even the tiniest hair. It was quite frustrating, and it took them hours in the moldy shed to find absolutely nothing. Buttercup let out a choked sound, resembling a growl, and kicked the ground below her. There was literally nothing there, not even a teeny tiny <em>piece<em> of a _piece_ of dead skin or hair belonging to a possible suspect. It was getting dark, orange and pink at dusk, it was time to call it a day.

"Well, it's the exact same deal as the Arturo case. Not a single fragment found with the best investigators searching." One of the officers stated simply as they decided silently to leave. Each making their way to the exit, they sighed. All the hard work they did, the sights that they saw can't be unseen, all for nothing. Buttercup was the last to depart. Before leaving, she looked back at the room. This is the house of the ex-villains who nearly killed her and her sisters; she should be satisfied with their passing. It did mean one less enemy to take on. But, she was never one to believe in the death penalty. She made a mental note to remember that they were once, like her and everyone else, people. No one deserved this verdict.

No one.

* * *

><p>Hours after their departure they arrived home. The first place Bubbles was going was to bed, she needed it more than anyone. Blossom made herself a snack, being hungrier than usual. Buttercup turned on the news, irritated to find that the same sort of thing was still replaying. She quickly turned it off and went up to her Pink sister. "Do you think we'll ever find clues as to who did this?" She inquired, grabbing a sour-cream and onion flavored potato chip from Blossom's snack bowl.<p>

Blossom looked towards her, deep in thought. Would they find anything? The target made sure to not leave a single piece of evidence in their wake, making an impossibly clean getaway. She sighed inwardly, anticipating the long days of work that will come with this investigation. She could only hope that this kind of ordeal, where there was no leads of any kind, only happened this one time in her crime-fighting life. She couldn't handle the stress and overwhelming feeling of being unable to bring justice to the people, good or bad. Whether it was good Samaritans or street gangs that valued mischief, she wanted to help if they really needed it. She _needed_ to. She was born to do it, along with her sisters. It was the one thing they truly understood; the power of helping and teamwork.

"I don't know if we will; the place was wiped clean of evidence." She admitted. Buttercup shrugged and marched upstairs for a quick shower before her rest. With Buttercup getting ready for bed and Professor in the lab (as usual), Blossom decided to quickly check in on her youngest sibling. The further up the carpeted steps she got, the louder the soft snores became in her sensitive advanced hearing.

She smiled as she felt the door creak open to reveal her sky blue sister, cuddled up in the warmth of the blanket, her back was facing away from the door like always, and she was fast asleep.

Blossom closed the door, heading for her own room. She needed rest too, as did everyone else. She ran back downstairs to say good night to her loving father. "Dad, I'm going to sleep now so-" She stopped dead in her tracks, holding back laughter. There on a plastic chair, newspaper literally on his face, snoring like a grizzly bear, was the Professor. She giggled like Bubbles, swooping up and carrying him upstairs to his room.

"You did this to me as a child, now it's my turn." She mumbled, tucking him into bed like a young child, laughing all the while. She then leaned over and kissed him on the forehead gently. "Goodnight, Professor." She sashayed out of his grand room, and into her own rosy one.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the long update. It took me a while since my friend is moving to Bulgaria for a while; I've been hanging out with her as much as possible before then. There may or may not be a pause between when school starts (the 4th of September) andor the 15th of September. The main reason is because, well, school is starting. Another reason is because my friend is coming back on the 15th, so there might be a pause like this one, who knows? But school is definitely gonna throw some things off. I hope you can bear with it for a short while, just until the schedule is adjusted and I know exactly how to plan everything out. But until then, I'll try my best!**

**Thank you, please review!**

**BYE!**


	6. Seventy

Mr. Derrick looked over the files one by one for the 12th time. The autopsy pictures, gruesome as they were, should no sign of distinguishing evidence what so ever, and he was really beginning to get frustrated. He and his crew were indeed trying the best they could, but it wasn't proving to be helpful in the slightest way.

He stopped himself from throwing his work papers into the air in a fit of rage. He neatly packed them into the correct filing cabinet, alphabetically ordered, and decided to call it a night. He shouldn't work himself to the point of rage; he might destroy important pieces in the process.

He sipped at the bitter tasting coffee, resting his feet on top of his desk to relax. It calmed him down to some extent. By now he would have pulled his hair out, if he had any left at all. He ran his fingers through his scruffy beard, his chestnut brown eyes peering over at the filing cabinet in the corner.

This case left little to no room to think or breathe. It was simple; a killer killed them.

The only thing left to figure out was the motives and the person.

One thing was obvious though; it had to be one person. With a group or even just a duo, someone was doomed to slip up somewhere. No person could be that careful, but they scanned the area billions of times, and nothing. It seemed borderline impossible.

Then it struck him with great force; the evidence must be on the bodies.

He nearly stumbled over his black leather armchair in an attempt to recover the files quickly. He pulled out the loose papers from the cabinet and threw them into a somewhat neat pile.

As he flipped through the pictures from the autopsy, his eyes widened with new found discover and hope of catching the killer.

He needed to alert the girls as soon as he got the chance.

* * *

><p>"Finally it's summer. I've been waiting for this forever." Buttercup announced as the stepped through the door, backpacks in hand. "Well, I can agree with you on that one. It gives us more time to work on the GG Case." Blossom added sternly, cursing slightly as slightly as some of her long amber hair got caught between her bag and the door.<p>

With her hair being so long that happened all the time.

Buttercup scoffed at the idea of being stuck with more work, even after school finished. Bubbles bounced in behind them, excited for the ending of school as well. She turned to her green clad sister before speaking.

"If we get the case done and over with, we'll have more free time over the summer!" Buttercup could not argue with her logic. She crossed her arms over her chest, continuing to her room. Half way up the stairs she closed her eyes, looking down. "Alright, but if we get another phone call I swear I'll-"

–* –* –* –*–* –* –

Blossom chuckled as she answered the incoming call. "Hello, Mr. Derrick." Bubbles giggled, too.

"-And so, I went over the files, and at first saw nothing. It was very hard to notice; not even the detectives examining the bodies noticed." Paul ranted on. The girls stood, anxious and nervous upon hearing his words. At one point Buttercup began to chew away at her fingers until Blue nudged her.

She wasted no time nudging back twice as hard.

Blossom elbowed both of them.

"When I looked over the files again I noticed this." He announced, passing the laminated files to the girls. Blossom took it politely while her sisters gawked over her shoulder.

Blossom held back a small gasp, pursing her lips together. Just looking at the autopsy she knew—they all knew—this was a game, a challenge.

On Ace's lower back, slightly to the left, just below his waist line, a lower case "T" was carved. On the opposite side, a "7" was, too.

"What can that possibly mean, Blossom?" Bubbles chimed from behind. "I'm not too sure. It could be anything from a name, a code -even an address. Maybe there are more letters or numbers somewhere…" Blossom stated, drawing the attention away from the picture. The chief looked at her, biting his lower lip. He was in deep thought. Bubbles took note of this and decided to excuse her and her sisters from the group. All was understood, they took the files back home to analyze for any more clues.

In the end there were none.

* * *

><p>"What could a "t" and a '7' possibly mean?" Buttercup sighed. The hours passed by sluggishly, and she was tired of looking at familiar bodies. One's brain and mental health could only take so much.<p>

Blossom lay by her side, staring at the ceiling. She had mirrored Buttercup's pose after 3 long hours of brainstorming and thinking. Her head was hurting for the 5th time that week; even _she_ had her limits, which were inadmissibly surpassed farther than she intended they be. Bubbles sat on the edge of the bed, her slender arms twisting around the bedpost for support. Lazily she slouched, the skin on her cheek squished firmly upwards, smearing her face.

Her boredom, as much as she hated to admit, was getting to her, and messing with her ability to perform thoroughly in the case. She sighed, waiting for her sisters to wrap up the brainstorming. It wouldn't take long, any moment now.

"That's it; I'm calling it a night. Can we deal with it in the morning? My brain can't take any more of this punishment." Buttercup screeched after a period of utter silence. "I'm gonna have to back you up on this one." Blossom yawned. Bubbles stretched upon standing and threw herself into her bed. "But with this much we can only _do_ so much. All we have is a "7" and a "T", what could we possibly figure out from that alone?" Buttercup whimpered tiredly.

Blossom shrugged lazily, just about ready to leave when a new voice muttered inaudibly.

"70." Two pairs of eyes went flying in her direction. "It's simple. "7T"is seventy." Bubbles exclaimed fluently with another yawn.

"Who knew she'd be the brains this time around, huh?" Buttercup smirked, crossing her arms. She, followed by Blossom, sauntered right back to the bed, ready to brainstorm with the new leads.

Bubbles remained with a bored expression.

* * *

><p>The chair shattered, sending splinters, bits and pieces, slicing into his back. He snarled, and got back up for the fight he was losing. The killer snatched the gun away, jabbing him hard in the stomach once more, before turning the muzzle to his head. With swift reflexes, he moved just as the bullet destroyed what was left of the wooden pieces behind him. He dashed towards the passage-way of his small home, trying to locate a new weapon. His hot pink hair fell in curtains over his eyes, blocking his vision. He swept them away with a sharp flick of his head.<p>

"Come on, Flynn. You can't run forever." The murderer called out from behind. He felt the pressure of two gunshots, just missing his head by mere inches. Beads of sweat slid passed his eyes, framing his face. He took greedy gasps of air, running out of breath as his speed slowly started to deteriorate. There was an axe, just in sight. Flynn's burgundy eyes flashed as he approached his weapon, he grabbed at it, tearing it from the wall in one shot. With a smug smirk of victory he turned around, awaiting his aggressor.

Instead, Flynn was met face to face with the barrel of a gun.


	7. Another

**7: _Problematic ~_**

* * *

><p>"Seventy, huh…" Professor Utonium sighed as he sat on the couch with two of his three daughters. Blossom and Bubbles nodded meekly as he took in their newly discovered information. Seeming deep in thought he frowned, resting his chin onto his palm. "What could that mean?" He grumbled anxiously to himself, not expecting any form of an answer.<p>

"Maybe it's the killer's alias or something." Bubbles chimed, remembering all the crime and mystery books she had read in the past. "In most cases, the predator would give themselves- or be given a nickname- like _The Joker_ from _Batman_ or _The Pink Panther_ or something." She clarified. Blossom looked up at her sister, her eyes leaving the floor for the first time since their family discussion. "But _The Pink Panther_ wasn't a criminal. It was a diamond that was stolen." Blossom scoffed. "Well, it was a nickname from a detective show, was it not? It's the same diff." The blue clad girl replied childishly. The scenario was not helping Blossom's headache in any way, though. Instead of responding, the red clad teen slumped back into her position on the couch and buried her head in her hands.

The professor pouted at the sight of them; his young girls, so worn out and tired, only a few days into the investigation. They needed a break, or at least a bit more help than they were receiving. He started thinking, more than he was already, determined to find some clues or ideas of the evidence they had stumbled upon.

"What if it's an address?" He announced after a time of silence. Bubbles turned to him questioningly. Blossom, however, made no movement or indication that she understood what he had said. He carried on without missing a beat. "What if it's an address? How many places do you know with the number seventy in it?" Blossom sat up, adjusting her body on the cushion. By this point, the Utoniums were all deep in thought.

"70 Argentina?" John spoke first, followed by Bubbles, who pulled out a tiny notepad from the drawer beside her, and Blossom.

**–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–* -* -*-* -* -* -* -* -* -* -*__________**

In the end, the came up with eight locations.

**–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–* -* -* -* -* -* -* -* -* -* -*__________**

"Well, how would we know which place to go to first, and at what time?" Bubbles inquired miserably. It felt like centuries had passed, and all they came up with was eight locations within a city. Blossom opened her mouth to speak, possibly to provide Bubbles with a reasonable response, but the sound of keys brought the main focus of their attention to the front door. A pair of jean shorts, converse and seven grocery bags entered the house. Buttercup said a quick salutation upon arriving, setting the shopping bags on the wide kitchen table.

"You guys come up with any info yet?" The green-clad Puff asked as she packed away food items, quickly escorted by her father. "We may or may not have." He admitted, catching her attention. "What's that supposed to mean?" Buttercup's eyebrow rose.

Bubbles jumped in, turning enthusiastically towards the kitchen. "We might be wrong, but we have an idea of the _seventy_ being a part of an address. We came up with eight locations all together, and I wrote them down just in case." She tossed the book to her older sister who caught it effortlessly. Buttercup skimmed down the list slowly, taking time to read each name carefully. Her family observed her closely until her eyes lit up.

Buttercup lifted her chin to face everyone else. "All of these are pretty common places in Townsville." She started, making the others more curious. "What are you getting at, Greenie?" Bubbles commented in a joking way, earning a warning glare from her older sister and father. Putting her hands up defensively, she retreated to her chair and stayed quiet.

Buttercup stood for a moment before continuing. "What if you convert _seventy_ into time?"

The room remained hushed.

* * *

><p>"Seventy converted from minutes is equal to one hour and ten minutes," Bubbles started, leaning backwards in her seat. "Seventy converted from hours is equal to two days a twenty two hours."<p>

"What could that mean?" Professor stepped in.

"The time until the next murder?" Blossom intervened, sitting upright. Professor turned to her, "So the killer could be planning a mass murder? This wasn't just a one-hit thing?" He asked, running his fingers through his thick hair.

"It's possible." She replied, crossing one leg over the other. The familiar vibrations of her cell phone on the table echoed through the living area, Buttercup reached for it swiftly.

She answered, expecting the old rugged voice she had grown to love on the other line. Instead, a gentle female voice responded with an equally gentle greeting. Jessica Vacanti, Paul Derrick's current fiancée.

"Unfortunately, Paul couldn't be here at the moment, but he's told me to ask you girls if you could come down to the station for a second." She spoke smoothly into the transmitter of the phone. Buttercup responded, then -saying a polite farewell before hanging up- turned to her family.

* * *

><p>"There was another one?!" Bubbles uncharacteristically shouted in disbelief. Each Puff looked straight at Paul, the concentration in their eyes visible from miles away. With a curt nod, Mr. Derrick pressed his lips into a thin line. The intensity in the room could be cut through like butter, and the silence was overwhelming. Blossom's face twisted into a menacing scowl towards the floor. "Maybe we didn't get the message in time. Maybe we could've prevented it…" She mumbled clearly for the others to hear.<p>

She gripped firmly onto the armrest, her knuckles becoming more defined.

On instinct Bubbles turned, grasping her shoulder in an assuring way. "Maybe there are more clues to come…" She suggested in an attempt to lighten her sister's dark mood. The two eldest siblings turned to Blue with probing eyes, appearing intrigued by what Bubbles had said. "So you're saying that you think there'll be more clues?" The head chief interrupted, breaking the otherwise overwhelming silence. "Well, it seems that there would be, under the circumstances. The killer left one before, and I'm pretty sure it's the same person who killed the Gangreen Gang this time." She announced, gaining the lot's attention.

"I don't think this guy will stop until we catch him." Bubbles concluded; the fierceness in her tiny voice intimidating.

The head policeman shuffled in his desk, pulling out a few papers organized neatly in a tab folder. "The witness claimed to have heard a barrage of gunfire, late last night. He was too afraid to call the police at the time, so he ran back home and called the station about ten minutes after." He threw the autopsy photos and witness statements onto the desk for the girls. Blossom slid it closer before picking it up. Her sisters watched as her mouth swung open. As the photos were passed around, a nauseous feeling passed upwards through Blossom's stomach. She closed her eyes, and saw an image appearing from the darkness-

-Ace Copular.

A mere composition of her memory, he laid there, motionless, with a face decorated in tears and blood. He was lying face down on the dirt floor, his head turned towards her. His cold obsidian eyes staring into open space.

In reality, Blossom choked on a sigh, tears edging at her eyes. She looked down once more at the depiction of Flynn in the photo. Seeing another person she knew, citizen or villain, made her cringe.

"Everything you girls need to know is in the report. Feel free to read it over." Buttercup opened the file as instructed, reading the details on Flynn Lumpkins' untimely death.

* * *

><p><em><strong><strong>–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>* –* –* –*–<em>_________****_

_**File #163067**_

**Name:** Flynn "Fuzzy" Lumpkins

**Age:** 28

**DOB:** March 18, 1985

**Date of Death/Time:** June 13, 2012/1:42 am

**Injury Manner:** Murder

**Injury Type:** Criminal-Victim

**Injury Site:** Country-side- Minorago, Townsville

**Cause of Death:** Serious injury, bullet wound

**Due to:** Bullet wound through head

** –_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–_* –* –* –*–__________**

* * *

><p>Dinner was relatively silent that night. The clinking of forks knocking against glass plates echoed thinly throughout their suburban home, washed away by the voices on the television. The Utonium household kept a calm façade, all the while listening to the six o'clock news.<p>

"_Citizens going remotely wild after yet another villain's body was found; Flynn Lumpkins, also known as 'Fuzzy Lumpkins', who you may know as the ex-policeman turned conman. You may also know him for the infamous heist that resulted in over 5 billion dollars stolen from Townsville's government."_

The attention visibly shifted over to the television. Buttercup spoke over the annoyance of the fake news anchor voice. "Going wild? What are they talking about?" "I don't know," Professor responded to the open question.

The screen displayed a small group- 5 or 6 people- bellowing incoherence at the cameramen.

"_The world has got a new hero!"_ A woman shouted. _"This guy is getting rid of villains, and we can live peacefully in the town." _

Bubbles quickly turned to her sisters, checking for the same reactions. Blossom stared at the TV in disbelief. Did the citizens really think of this as a good thing? As if she had read Blossom's thoughts, Buttercup spoke. "So a couple of people think this is beneficial to them? Just wait until the killer changes his mind and attacks them instead."

"What if he doesn't?" Bubbles interrupted, gaining the attention of everyone around her. "What if he is really trying to help the citizens? What if he stops after he's gotten rid of them all?"

Buttercup looked incredulously at her little sister. The house fell back into its silence, the only sound being the female voices on the television.

With eyes of fiery green, Buttercup scowled, looking down upon Bubbles.

"Once a murderer, always a murderer."

* * *

><p><strong>Hi guys! <strong>

**So I seemed to have made a slight error in my writing…. This is supposed to take place during Summer, not winter. Sorry! I didn't realize until after I wrote the first few chapters that I had the seasons going all over the place! So yeah, sorry for any confusion, please update your minds to summer. (School break, to be exact.) **

**And even though it's not necessary, I'd like to personally thank those of you that review! You inspire me to keep writing! Without any reviews, I wouldn't know if people like my writing or not, so I wouldn't know if I should waste my time on it still. But with you reviewers, I try my best to update and make chapters longer just for you! **

**Without further ado, here goes! **

* * *

><p><strong><em>babyflowers<em> - 8/23/11 **

**You were my very first reviewer! I thank you very, very much! (I hope you have stuck with this story long enough to see this dedication.) I dedicate the first chapter of this story, and the very last chapter of this story to you! (But you will probably share the last chapter with the first person who reviews the last chapter .****) So a COLOSSAL thanks just for you!**

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><p><strong><em>SapphireDemonDancer<em> ****- 8/27/11**

**Thank you so much for reviewing the first and second chapter! You gave me the strength to continue writing this story! I hope you enjoy, and I hope you've kept reading. Regardless, I just want to thank you for clicking the story anyway! Even if you didn't like it along the way, you still gave it a shot and reviewed, I am grateful for that alone.**

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><p><strong><em>HoldTheTruthForever<em> - 4/23/12**

**I hope you've enjoyed this story so far! It's only the beginning! And I will try my best to update as soon as I can! Thank you for reviewing the second chapter! It means a lot, it really does. I hope you continue and I hope a can please all of my fans with this story! Thank you!**

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><p><strong><em>XxShaDowTwinsxX <em>- 6/4/12**

**Man, I feel like a see you everywhere! :D I always see you reviewing! It means so much! Thank you for sticking with this story along the way! And thank you for reading my other stories as well! It's really hard to write at times, which delays my updating time, but you give me the power to go on! Thank you for reviewing the third chapter of this…. Book (?) / I don't know what it is…**

**(#imawkward.)**

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><p><strong><em>boomer4ever <em>- 7/13/12**

**You're an amazing writer and amazing yaoi writer (because they're two different things, right? *note my sarcasm. :P) And thank you for reviewing the third and fourth chapter! I feel like I see you everywhere too! **

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><p><strong><em>Poisondilu<em> - 7/23/12**

**You. Just you. Wow. You...**

**You gave me one of the best reviews, and it left me in shock for days. *_* Thank you. I really felt the need to write more and more of this story just because of that nice review! (Which happened on chapter four, by the way.) **

**Again, thank you. **

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><p><strong><em>TitanWolf<em> - 7/23/12 **

**You also reviewed the fourth chapter, thank you very much! I'm giving some credit of this chapter to you! I wasn't sure which villain to do next, and to be honest, I was very stuck. Then you came up with an idea of Fuzzy Lumpkins, and it got my creative juices flowing. ^_^ **

**Although I didn't use the whole plan that you came up with, I tried to make it similar, just so I could credit you with the idea! So thank you, TitanWolf, you have officially contributed to the making of this story! **

* * *

><p><strong><em>Acid Fish<em> - 8/27/12**

**Thank you for taking the time to read this story! I feel like I've seen you a lot, too! **

**I hope you stick with my story, but I am grateful just because you gave it a try regardless! Thank you very much for your review on chapter five. **

* * *

><p><strong><em>Threetearsforme<em> - 1/20/13**

**I'll give you three cheers for reviewing the sixth chapter! Hip, hip hooray! Hip, hip hooray! Hip, hip hooray! ^w^ **

**But seriously, thank you for reviewing! I will be making more, I can promise that for now. XD **

**It all depends on the feedback I get. **

* * *

><p><strong>And lastly, thank you to everyone who reviews and likes my story!<br>**

**Stay awesome, bros! mmmaahaaaaaaaaa! **

**Oh wait, that's copyrighted by ****PewdiePie****… gotta come up with my own…**

**How about, "**_**Short-lived Simplicity**_**"… that sounds good! What do you think, Simpletons?**

**(No, I'm just kidding, I won't call you Simpletons. I'm just really bad at slapstick humour.) **

**You can think of a name yourselves. ****:P**

**(#stillawkward)**

**BYE!**

_**-Short-Lived Simplicity**_


	8. Sleep

**Chapter 2: _Welcome Aboard_**

* * *

><p>The white light was washed out and pale. It seemed like the world wasn't a physical form. It was a soft visible air that shimmered with a white mist. But he was standing regardless. It was a floating sensation. The beauty of this place was drowned out by the confusion it brought.<p>

There were no people. There were no trees. There were no houses. There were no streets. Just barren land, if it could be called land. Everything was smeared together; he couldn't tell where ends meet. Where the ocean met the skyline, where up connected to down, and left became right…

It was an endless white fog.

He put out an ear to catch the sound. To locate anything that wasn't him. Did he even exist? He figured he did in some way, somehow.

He could hear a faint and distant cry. It grew louder, it grew heavier. There was more than one. Multiple voices- male and female- and they were talking all at once. It was a jumbled mess of the English language- all repeating one thing, unfortunately not to the rhythm of the same drum.

He stressed his ability to hear and think. He began to process as much words as possible, enough to form a logical sentence.

_End. This end. The end. This the end. End this is. Is not the. This is not._

* * *

><p><em><strong>This is not the end. <strong>_

* * *

><p>Brick shot out of bed and groaned, annoyed with yet another screwed up dream. He slammed down his alarm clock as it rang, just like every other day as of late. It was an ongoing cycle, ever since the day of the Gangreen Gang leader's death. He would jump out of bed after having the same damned nightmare, and he would always wake up at exactly 2:22, AM or PM, and five seconds before his alarm clock went off because of a dumb glitch it caught after being dropped too hard.<p>

In other words, Brick was all too used to this.

This time it was morning; the sky was almost pitch black with the smallest traces of violet and orange. He peered out the large framed window beside his bed. It was a view of the quiet street just below his room. The streetlights provided a warming glow that melted the world into a calm orange fireplace, and as much as he hated getting up this early, the sight of a peaceful night made him feel at ease.

"Brick, you're awake?"

At least he _was_ at ease.

He turned with a hardened expression, facing the direction of his door where the tiny voice had come from. In walked a boy who seemed too small and thin for his age, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to adjust to the early awakening.

"I could ask you the same thing, Boomer." He said as Boomer plopped himself down on the edge of the bed. Brick took his place next to him, turning towards his younger brother. "Why are you up right now?"

"Well, I heard you get up…" Boomer muttered quietly, still dreadfully tired. After staying up until one o'clock, not to mention waking up that day at six in the morning, he'd been awake for roughly 19 hours. Brick knew, as certain as the sunrise, that ninety percent of those hours had been invested into nothing useful, and probably something time and energy consuming.

"You don't need to worry about me, Boomer. I'm the older brother, it's my job." He explained as he ran his slightly muscled arm gently down the young blonde's back. It provided a sense of comfort as usual; comfort that Boomer particularly needed to progress in anything nowadays. He patted lightly and drew small circles as the younger siblings eyes drew to a close.

He was relaxed now, drifting in and out of consciousness. Brick smiled, watching him react like a baby kitten trying it's hardest not to fall asleep, but cutely failing miserably.

The silence dragged on into the still night. The air was warm and smelled of mildew and fresh laundry. An odd odor, but a soothing scent nevertheless. Brick took in the tranquillity; greedily grasped at the silence and wouldn't let go. He needed peace; he needed some time to himself to clear his mind of weary thoughts.

"Brick…?"

"…What is it, Boom?"

"Can I sleep in your room tonight?"

He sighed in slight annoyance. He was not mad at his family for wanting to be with him, but was mad at himself for a reason he couldn't put a finger on. Maybe it was his job as an Older Brother, and the fact that he should've been fired by now. He looked down into innocent eyes. Pure blue; deeper than the deepest sea yet lighter than the sunniest sky. The life that he provided this teeny-tiny excuse of a man was decent enough for him to set aside his personal problems. Bottling up for one more night wouldn't hurt now would it?

He hugged the teenaged baby with all his life's dependence, and whispered a positive response.

"Of course you can."

Brick guided Boomer carefully down onto the bed, pulling in the sheets and closing the door. He made sure to snuggle closely, just to provide him with that comfort he longed for. For once, Brick had the energy to stay up, just until his brother's warm breaths slowed down and the mysterious pools of blue faded and shut for the night; then, and only then, would he sleep.

So as he listened and followed the rise and fall of his fragile chest he couldn't help but imagine the family back together again. He could see it, right there. When they were kids, dumb and naïve, and didn't give a damn about the world they lived in. Back then, when they fought for entertainment, not survival. Running around with his immature little brothers and getting a whooping they deserved from their counterparts each time.

"_Yeah…"_ Brick smirked nostalgically, enjoying the moment of bliss that came from those memories. _ "If only Butch were here."_

He shut his eyes. Sleep came easily for once.

* * *

><p>"So, he was shot by his own gun?" Professor said in disbelief. The whole world knew about Flynn Lumpkins' absurd obsession with firearms. Particularly his classic Remington 870 shotgun which he probably slept cuddled up to at night. "Yes, that is correct, shocking as it is." Bubbles shrank into her chair as Blossom responded, her eyes drooping ever so slightly. She was tired of all of this, especially so early in the morning. When would the real summer break actually begin? When would she get any break whatsoever? A pair of green eyes turned her way, absorbing the body language was giving. Buttercup just smiled reassuringly at her younger sister and muttered for her to lighten up a bit.<p>

But she didn't seem so lightened up herself.

Bubbles took note of that as she excused herself to the kitchen.

"I can't bear to see you girls struggling with this on your own…" John worried aloud, catching Blossom's attention.

"We'll be fine for now dad. I don't want you to get too stressed." Buttercup turned to him with a knowing smirk.

"We all remember what happened last time you got too worked up juggling work and us at the same time." She recalled.

He sighed, scratching at his thinned-out hair.

* * *

><p>"So, Butch decided not to show up this time around, huh?" Boomer eyed his father, who spoke with a loud and clear voice on the opposite side of the table. Brick grabbed firmly onto his shoulder, pulling him back before shaking his head. Boomer understood and turned away from the standing man.<p>

His curiosity dragged his eyes around the room as his brother proceeded to explain Butch's possible whereabouts. His eyes lingered above the entrance, diagonal from where he took his seat. A large silver slate with _Communication Discussion Agreement_ engraved in large bold lettering. A cough to his left shook his thoughts and he looked to the man sitting upright beside him. He wore a lab coat and his hair was Golden brown. Boomer almost didn't recognize him without his trademark Ray-Ban shades. His nametag read _Dick Hardly_, which is another thing about him that Boomer never knew.

He'd always seen these men and women running around their house, but never quite understood why they were always there looking at him, smiling at him, downright ignoring him. Professor Hardly felt his eyes lingering, and looked down at him with a warm grin. He smiled back awkwardly, not really knowing how to react properly.

Brick nudged him for staring too long in the first place.

They sat in the room, around a large table with a handful of men and women, all older than them by over ten years. The only person that even came close to their age was a fair-haired woman by the name of Catalina Ibachi- 24 years of age.

Brick, being the eldest child of three, would have no choice but to be the mature one of the group and use his knowledge of the situation to help his younger brothers. He continued to listen for the two of them, even despite the absence of one.

His father continued to preach to the room of elders. "That murderer has taken out the Gangreen Gang; it's impossible to think it was a one-man show. Especially after our very own professor Hardly here got his sticky fingers on a few shots of Chemical X." The two men smirked at one another, putting sniveling grins on the faces of those in the room before returning to the seriousness of the topic at hand.

A raven haired woman, seemingly in her thirties, snickered, gaining attention from the individuals in the CDA room. "If you think about it, those boys were pretty stupid. Maybe they'd be alive if they had the slightest clue." She folded her slender arms across her chest.

The director of the group turned to her with judging eyes. "Just what are you getting at, Ima?"

"Well, Mr. Ryuuko, if those punk-headed brats had some sort of education, maybe they'd know how to handle a pesky lower-class criminal the right way." She snorted.

He cocked his head to the side, taking in Ima's words. "So you're saying if they knew what two plus two was they'd still be alive?"

She shook her head frantically, her dark hair twisting and squiggling like a tangled knot of snakes. "No, no, Joey. I'm saying if they knew how to handle real power they'd still be alive."

Boomer's eyes darted up at the mention of his father's name. No one had ever addressed him as such. Only the gutsiest of coworkers would dare call out his name.

It was the name of the mastermind himself- the name of all names- the name that all knew and feared.

It was the name of the Rowdyruff Boys' father…

Joey Ryuuko.

The felonious professor known for creating three of the most powerful teen brothers the world has ever seen.

Brick grabbed his arm, guiding him to lean back in his chair. These meetings were often boring, and he would always convince Boomer that it was simply a time for him to relax and do nothing but keep his energy up. He always thought his brother paid no mind to the topics discussed in the CDA. But Boomer always had an ear out. He was smarter than he was given credit. He understood what they were discussing completely.

Joey began to talk again, keeping the meeting at a smooth pace.

"The Gangreen Gang may not have been the smartest of the bunch, but Flynn Lumpkins finished college. He knows how to handle real power but he's still dead."

"Well, that's because…" Ima had no comeback. Joey won this round again.

"We just need to figure out what kind of power the killer has and beat him at his own game." He announced, shutting Ms. Goodlady up completely.

"We aren't here to discuss the GGG, but more like the Shotgun baring idiot with abnormal pink hair." He snapped, smirking as a flush of embarrassment wiped across the raven headed woman's face.

Brick took note of his father's witty and cruel demeanor. Boomer focused on the woman.

The whole room fell silent, taking in the situation.

* * *

><p><strong>The Rowdyruffs have made their appearance now. It's a bit short, but it's only an introduction to the second chapter! Hope you enjoy. <strong>

**BYE!**


	9. Vacation

**9:**_** Recall ~**_

* * *

><p>"Learning from the previous autopsy, we're going to examine the bodies even more than necessary; just as much as the crime scene itself." The head chief began. This was the fifth time they'd found themselves sitting in those comfortable office chairs. The girls were tired; tired of coming to the station, tired of seeing the dead bodies of the people they once knew. In the course of a month, nearly half the villains had been wiped out. Each time, a clue was either overlooked completely or discovered too late.<p>

Bubbles sighed heavily, crossing yet another name off of her list with a dull red highlighter.

_Josef 'Mr. Mime' Stillman-_

-The fifth victim whose death made the killers motives official.

As she crossed out the name, Paul continued to talk.

"Obviously, we're going to have to step up our game. There have been five attacks on the criminals of Townsville and a total of 10 deaths-"

Bubbles looked back at the list.

_Ace D. Copular, William 'Big Billy' Williams, Grubber J. Gribberish, Sanford 'Snake' Ingleberry, 'Lil' Arturo' de la Guerra -5_

_Flynn 'Fuzzy' Lumpkins -6_

_Geraldo 'Boss-man' Gayle, Junior 'Tiny' Cagney, Wesley 'Skinny Slim' Gabriel -9_

_Josef "Mr. Mime" Stillman -10_

"_So the Gangreen Gang, Fuzzy Lumpkins, The Amoeba Boys and Mr. Mime… Ten people in only a month."_  
>Bubbles thought to herself while her sisters exchanged looks over a statement she'd failed to hear.<p>

"How are we supposed to put a stop to this?" Blossom cried, finally gaining the attention of her blue-clad sibling.

"Yeah, this killer has left behind no clues to who he is! We have no evidence at all! It's borderline impossible to catch this guy." Buttercup followed, putting emphasis into her body movements.

Paul sighed, rubbing at his balding scalp. "I understand… So the investigative team and I have decided to take matters outside of the office." He rose from his chair with a tired limp, and made his way over to a bulletin board on the others side of the room. All six colorful eyes remained glued to his every move, curious as kittens. "As you know, we can't do anything at a crime scene, for the crime's already been committed." He pointed his finger over a slip of paper stabbed into the board with a red thumbtack.

It was the scene of the first Gangreen Gang murder, Arturo, labeled with a one.

Across from it were photos of all the other bodies, labelled in order from the time of death, all the way up to ten.

"The criminal has been toying with us; leaving behind clues and hints like this some kind of sick game."

Bubbles scoffed at the thought of lives being used as puzzle pieces. Buttercup rested her hand on her shoulder to calm her down. She acknowledged it, settling back down into her seat.

"What we need to do is analyze the clues to see the next time, location and victim, and beat the killer at his own game." Mr. Derrick concluded. Blossom perked up, raising her finger to add on. "And just how are we supposed to get there before hand? What do we do then?"

Paul took a breath, looking each of the girls in their eyes. They grew worried, anxious and nervous, awaiting their response.

He shut his eyes, gripping the desk he stood in front of.

"The investigation team came to me with a possible answer to the _Amoeba Boys _clue."

Multiple eyes widened as he proceeded to pull up their autopsy.

"Remember the clue left on Wesley Gabriel's left arm?"

_"Of course," _Blossom thought to herself. _"How can we forget?"_

* * *

><p>"<em>The public is on a rampaging riot, applauding these heroic actions taken by an invisible idol. The city of Townsville is now buzzing with relief as more news of the deaths of freely roaming criminals is released. Is this new saviour really going to eliminate all threats from our streets? Is this really something to look forward to? Or is-"<em>

_Buttercup shut off the television, not wanting to hear any more about the "World's Savior"_. _She huffed and went upstairs after what seemed like hours of waiting for her sisters to get ready. "Come one guys! We have to get there quickly, no time to be applying your makeup." She snapped as she ran up the steps.  
>As she reached half way her pink sister appeared, clutching onto her cellphone as Bubbles followed suit. <em>

"_Finally, took you two long enough! Anyways, the town still thinks this guy is doing a good thing." _

_She started, looking up to her siblings as she made her way towards the front door.  
>"He kind of is," Blossom stated, shoving her keys into her bag. "But he's going about it the completely wrong way. His intentions are good…" She closed the door upon her littlest sister's exit. <em>

"_Well, the road to hell is paved with good intentions." Bubbles added, finishing the conversation._

"_Oh my goodness…" Blossom gasped as they arrived at the scene of the crime. Blood coated the walls and floor, some even hitting the ceiling. "This guy is not playing around." Buttercup cooed as she carefully planted each step. The Amoeba Boys lived in a dingy apartment, meaning the neighbors had to have information on the vicious killing that took place earlier. Bubbles reminded them of that as she went away in search for witnesses. _

"_Oh, good; the bodies are still here." Buttercup dramatically stated as she had a stare down with the victims. Blossom flinched as she calmly approached, having seen enough already. "Oh, these poor boys; they hadn't even hit their twenties yet." She mourned, kneeling to turn Wesley's body with her gloved hand. As his arm became visible from underneath him Blossom jumped back, hitting and startling Buttercup in the process._

"Whoa, whoa, watch it! What happened?!" She yelled, whipping back to see her sister's new findings.

_Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "How…?" She whispered in disbelief. Blossom bit her lip, not once looking away from the sight._

* * *

><p>"<em>I never saw who it was but I heard knocking on the door." A woman responded as she rocked her baby back and forth. Bubbles looked after her sadly. "There was a voice, a male voice, and he was yelling at them and demanding that they opened the door. It took several minutes, but then it seemed that he broke down the door… forced his way in." She said looking distinctly terrified. Bubbles smiled sadly, attempting to calm her nerves.<br>"What did he sound like, Miss?" She inquired softly. "His voice was dark and raspy. But it wasn't very, very deep…. It was… like a teenager."  
>Bubbles nodded. "What happened after he broke in, do you know?" <em>

_"There was just loud banging and crashing… I was trying to keep my baby asleep the whole time; I didn't want them to come over here or something. I couldn't leave either because-" _

_Blossom flew through the door, grabbing her sister by the arm. "Bubbles, you need to come see this. Now."_

_Bubbles muttered an apology before gliding into the crime scene. Buttercup stood above the body, gesturing to the corpse. As Blue moved in closer she began to gasp, Red crossed her arms._

_"Oh my God."_

_Carved perfectly into the arm of the butchered villain were three words._

* * *

><p>"Using the clue from Wesley's arm, we've come up with a plan." Paul continued, snapping Blossom out of her dazed state. "What the evidence tells us can be one of two things—" Buttercup moved forward in her seat, analyzing every inch of detail.<p>

"—the next target, or the killers themselves." The next words to leave the chief's mouth left the girls flabbergasted.

"The plan, we've decided, is simple; you'll be staying with the RowdyRuff Boys 24/7. If the killer strikes, you'll catch him. If the killer doesn't, then the RowdyRuffs will find themselves in custody as our top suspects."

The girls gasped, giving each other incredulous looks. "We have to _what_ with _who_?!" Buttercup yelled while rising from her chair. Bubbles held her back down again.

"You will be staying in a high class hotel, protected and secured by our finest workers."

"No."

"Yes."

"No! I'm not sleeping in a room knowing my nutcase counterpart is a mere walking distance from me." She screamed in disgust.

The chief sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "It's either you set aside your differences or you let this killer continue brutally and painfully killing people around you." He offered, shutting her up completely.

She glared into space, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"How exactly do you plan on getting them in on this?" Bubbles asked, looking unsurely towards her sisters. Paul cleared his throat, placing his hands on the desk.

"We got bribes." He stated flatly.

* * *

><p>"Welcome home, big guy." Brick greeted with a glare of annoyance as Butch walked through his bedroom door. Brick was in his room, seated on his bed as he awaited his return. But despite his patient wait, he was downright ignored as Butch stormed his way over to his bed, not even making eye contact.<p>

Angrily, Brick launched up to a stance, shuffling over to him. Only then did he say something.

"Listen, I'm tired. I just wanna sleep, so can you leave?" He spat, only fueling the fire.

"No, you listen!" The fight had started.

"This isn't a game anymore, Butch! You've been missing meetings, you've been going out early in the morning and not showing your face until late at night, you haven't had any family time with-"

"_What family_!?" He raged, throwing an item forcefully across the room. "_This_ isn't a family, Brick!"  
>"That's because half the members—<em>you<em>—are missing 24/7!" He yelled back, grabbing his arm with a tight grip. Butch stared straight into his crimson orbs before tearing his arm away.

"I just have better things to do, man." He calmed. Brick snorted, holding back sarcastic laughter.

"Yeah, like what? Be the last person to be seen at a dead guy's house?"

Butch stopped dead in his tracks, turning to his older brother. By this time, Boomer had appeared in the doorway, peeking in slightly to see what all the commotion was about.

"What?" He asked slowly, moving closer to his brother. Brick backed up a few steps, not wanting any moves to catch him off guard. He noticed a hurtful expression flash in Butch's eyes, and reminded himself to address that later on.

"Yeah, the Amoeba Boys got offed right after you left. Too bad there were no reports of someone else entering after you. So you've probably got us all in the number suspect position." They both crossed their arms skeptically across their chests. "You know, that _guy_ that's been killing all these villains around here. That's us now."

Butch chortled, smirking at him. "Well how do you know?"

Brick glanced back upon seeing his younger brother in the doorframe. He gave him an emotionless look before returning to glare at Butch. "I don't know, Butch. Maybe if you attended some of the meetings you'd understand already." Butch kissed his teeth, stepping around his eldest brother and making his way to pick Boomer up.

"How's it going little bro?" He cooed with a smile as he threw him over his shoulder.

Boomer didn't seem too thrilled, remaining calm and not reacting to his kind actions.

Noticing right away, Butch carried him to his room and placed him on the floor again. He frowned after him, watching him look at anything but him. "What's wrong, you don't like me anymore?" He asked, laughing uncomfortably in hopes of a positive answer.

Instead of staying to chat, Boomer turned to walk out, only muttering a quiet response.

"It's not like that…"

Butch's frown deepened as Boomer disappeared beyond the door. Brick stepped in with his arms still folded, leaning against the door frame.

As Green stood up straight, he began to talk.

"See what happens?" Brick announced as his brother glared at him. Butch lost his temper, storming up to him. "Why you always gotta start something, man?! Can't you leave me be for a sec?!" Brick scoffed at him, leaning off of the wall.

"Maybe if you had perfect attendance in your classes at school instead of having perfect attendance for detention, you'd have better grammar, too." Butch glared daggers, brushing his brother off and settling down onto his bed. Brick lifted his signature cap and ran his fingers through his thick red locks as he sighed.

"Now listen," he said, gesturing for his green sibling to scoot over. He obliged without hesitation, despite the tension they just had. Brick stared at him for a while. Butch noticed, but chose not to make eye contact. Finally after what seemed like days Brick opened his mouth, only to be cut off by the door swinging open.

They turned, staring unblinkingly at their father. Boomer was wrapped around his waist seeming smaller than ever.

"Dad?" Brick slowly said, unsure of what was happening. "Pack up your stuff, boys," he started. Boomer's head flipped upwards to meet Joey's. He gave him a quick glance before returning his cold gaze to his other sons.

"You're going on a little vacation."


	10. AUTHORS NOTE

**HEY GUYS LONG TIME NO SEE...AGAIN...again...?**

**Well, I've been gone for a very,very long time... I haven't updated Ruined, Eradicate and Depression of the Young Literati because I got a virus! **

**YAY! MY COMPUTER CRASHED! :D**

**And no, I did not die. **

**I lost all my stuff. The computer wouldn't even turn on, so we had to factory reset it. That means that it clears the whole computer and sets it back to when you first got it. ie. FRESH OUT THE BOX. **

**So yeah, I lost everything. Microsoft Word included. I have to reinstall everything! :D **

**Recently, I got settled in... But I'm highly afraid since my Norton Virus thingy decided to expire too. **  
><strong>Although this has happened before, I don't really do things that lead to viruses... So I hope I don't get one any time soon! I shouldn't, actually, unless Youtube has a trojan. -_- doubting face is doubting.<strong>

**So please sit tight! New chapter of Eradicate is on its way, Ruined will be drawn alongside Aishiteru (Of course I'm still gonna work on the Reboot on FF) **

**This really did piss me off though, especially since I had one of the longest chapters of Ruined written and 99% done. -_-**

**Aishiteru Manga is being put together, you can find it on my DeviantArt and you can find the Ruined and Aishiteru Anime Openings on Youtube. **

**Links won't be up as they are not uploaded, but when they are you can see them! **

**Thank you so much! **

* * *

><p><em><strong>Do you like VocaloidUtau? **_

_**Please visit my channel! I've started a UTAU-HUMAN PROJECT! I make UTAU sound HUMAN! **_

_**There are only Two videos in the UTAU-HUMAN PROJECT. One is an introduction, the other is practice! **_

_**YOUTUBE/user/utaitekowareta (Kimochi Miyako on Youtube!) Link is on profile! **_

**HAPPY HOLIDAYS! **


	11. Parting

**10:**_** Typical ~**_

* * *

><p>"It's nice to see your face, Butch." Joey smiled a crooked smile as he stood above his seated sons. The middle child scoffed and folded his muscular arms in his lap. "Dad, why are you making us do this?" Brick wasted no time, he'd never been a chit-chat then business kind of guy. It was always straight to the point with him. His father's smile dropped and he glowered at the three of them. "The reason is quite simply actually." Joey adjusted his glasses and waved over to his partner. Boomer snapped his head upwards, his eyes lighting up as the smiling Professor Hardly made his way next to Joey. He looked at each of the boys, his eyes lingering on Boomer for a second longer as he friendly waved to him. The blonde teen stared meekly in response.<p>

Mr. Ryuuko adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat. "Professor Hardly here was stopped by the police, brought down to the special investigative unit and given some..._options,_" Professor Hardly picked up from where Joey left. "At first I thought I was being held for break and enter charges. But when they failed to bring out handcuffs and placed me right up front with the driver, I realized that they needed something." He paced absent mindedly.

Butch perked up, listening more attentively as the story progressed. He had never heard of the police taking such nonchalant actions, especially with a sneaky crook like Dick Hardly. Whenever he got busted, it usually ended with his face being slammed on to the hood of a car and cuffs chaining his arms behind his back as soon as eye contact was made. He felt his face redden as a sudden feeling of jealousy washed over.

"You guys do know about this... _Saviour_ the citizens keep hollering about, right?" He rhetorically questioned as he continued to pace with his pointed polished shoes. "This guy has taken out some of the well-known hooligans. This HQ is losing members more than Buttercup loses her temper." Butch snickered at that as expected, knowing that Dick Hardly had directed that to him. Brick nudged him, wiping the smile off of his face along with the Professor's.

"The police are doing things that I've never seen in Townsville history," He drew a breath as the three boys looked on anxiously.

"In order to catch this criminal, they need a criminal. And not just any criminal; they need you three boys specifically." Butch shot out of his seat, panting like a dog. His green eyes glared into the men standing in front of him and he stormed up to Professor Hardly. Taken back by his actions, Hardly stumbled a bit before regaining his composure.

Butch's tone was deep and harsh, almost a strong and dark whisper. No one moved, waiting to see what his next move was. He only spoke.

"I didn't fucking kill those guys, Dick Hardly." He was stern and in his face, their noses almost touching. Dick Hardly only smirked, a perfect lopsided grin.

"I never said you did, Butch Ryuuko." He cooed. "But on the body of one of the victims from that night... Your names are carved in his arm." He turned to the others as he gave the last bit of news. The whole room seemed to light up as all the RowdyRuffs were now on their feet.

"What!?" Boomer shrieked as Brick extended his hand across his stomach to held him back. "I'm afraid it's true, boys. The police have deduced two solid ideas." He adjusted his Ray-Bans once more before proceeding.

"Either you're the killers, or you're the next victims."

* * *

><p>"My ass!" Butch tossed a chair to its death. "Like hell I'm gonna spend my damn time with the PowerPuffs in some dingy ass hotel!" He smashed more things. "Calm down, son." Joey grabbed him firmly, only to have him rip his arm away. "Why do we have to go?! You haven't told us anything!" Boomer yelled. Joey sighed and began to explain as Brick sat calmly on the bed. He glanced on as his eldest son glowered at the floorboards and continued with an exaggerated sigh.<p>

"They said if you do this, your names will be cleared. If you deny it, they have more reason to suspect you, and you will be serving a lot of time in prison. The plan is simple and determines everything. If you show up and the killer doesn't, you are jailed. If you show up and the killer shows up too, you and the rest of us are free. If you deny you will be jailed for at least a month. If someone dies you are released and all charges are dropped," he took a deep breath before continuing. The man struggled to choke out the last words as he backed away slowly out of the room. Boomer looked at him- a number of questioning gazes from the eyes if his brothers as well.

"Nobody dies during that time; you can kiss your freedom goodbye." Joey closed his eyes and shut the door, leaving the trio without another word.

* * *

><p>"Guys, this is crazy." Bubbles dropped on to her bed, utterly exhausted from all the packing and work. The professor chuckled and sipped away his coffee. The aroma of fresh ground coffee beans clouded the room, along with the bitterness of black coffee.<p>

Blossom wheeled her suitcase closer to her high heeled feet before tucking her cell phone into her back pocket. "Tell me about it." She groaned as she stood to march over to her computer desk.

"You girls will manage, I'm sure of it." He cooed with a soothing fatherly voice. Despite the going away of his three girls, the atmosphere was one of bliss. Despite the rhythmic clacking from Buttercup as she tapped away at the screen of her cell phone, the house was relatively quite for once. Only the sound of breathing and a short lasting slurp every now and then could be heard.

The annoying chime of an alarm clock timer broke the silence, and Buttercup didn't hesitate to break it further.

"Robin said she's supposed to be in town in little over a month from now." She announced as she bounced off her bed and grabbed her shoes. Bubbles clapped giddily upon hearing the news. Blossom's smiled widened. "I can't wait!" Her smiled flopped as she switched off the alarm clock. "But it's 1:30. We gotta leave now." Bubbles reached for her luggage and the girls all turned to John with unsure faces.

He beamed bitter-sweetness as he took the time to embrace them all. "It's only for a little while, dad." Buttercup strained to say with strength as she bit back a few tears. He couldn't help but develop watery eyes as he watched his toughest fighter swell up with tears. "I know. I know you'll be safe. You'll do just fine." He assured them all as they walked in a group towards the front exit. "It's only for a little while." He repeated as they all said their goodbyes and left into the violet sky of morning.

As the house stepped back into silence, his heart sank. He remembered the time he spent wandering the house and viewing his daughters as they soundly slept. He recalled the thoughts he had on that day, and smiled grimly into his refreshing mug of bitter black coffee.

"Gone into the world by themselves."

* * *

><p>Three boys walked along the solid pavement, the rough sandpaper sounds of tiny luggage wheels driving over rock and gravel.<p>

Boomer was in front, with his brothers behind. He was in dire need of fresh air. They walked in silence to the airport where they would silently wait for their plane and silently get aboard for a soundless flight.

Their cellular phones buzzed at the same time. Butch pulled his from his pocket and flicked his thumb across the screen. In the dark of the late morning the whiteness of his screen lit up his face and he scoffed, roughly shoving his phone back into his pocket. The reactions were the nearly same for the other two. They shut away their phones in silence and progressed further.

_"-Have a safe flight, boys."  
>-Joey R.<em>

Butch snickered and smirked, glaring darkly at his feet as he and his brothers trudged onwards.

_"Typical." _

* * *

><p><strong>I'M BACKKKKKK. Yeah it's been a nice damn long time now hasn't it? Sorry if this chapter is short, too. :( <strong>

**To make up for the long absence HERE'S A FUN GAME WITH REWARDS! **

**HARD CHALLENGE #1 : A few chapters back, a woman by the name of Catalina Ibachi was mentioned. She is a fair-haired woman in her twenties. Hint: She loves jumpsuits. Her favourite one she loves wearing is white and blue, and she sat furthest away from the men in the CDA room. Which character from the PowerPuff Girls is she?**

**EASY CHALLENGE #1: A girl named Robin was mention in this chapter. She is coming back to town in a few weeks. The girls seemed anxious for her arrival. What is her full name and what is the title of the episode was she in? (_Bonus Reward if you can tell a little of her story!_) **

**The First TWO people to answer correctly will have their OC (or themselves) put into the story with a choice of being a VICTIM with their own chapter or a WITNESS with their own chapter! **

**GOOD LUCK! _And much thanks! _**


	12. Flight

****11****:**__** Stubborn ~**_  
><em>**

* * *

><p>The fiery sky embraced her sisters with golden ribbons as they melted into their seats. It looked warm and inviting, especially as her sisters seemed so calm and peaceful as the sunrays lulled them to sleep.<p>

But she was stuck on the opposing side of the seating plan, away from the window. The shadows followed up her legs, around her waist and across her head, leaving only mere scratches of sunlight to circle her arms. She sighed, feeling the coldness in the air thicken in the corner she sat in by herself.

But, she wasn't really by herself now, was she?

Bubbles cocked her head to the side, ogling at the tanned young man seated next to her.

Roland.

He was a young adult, about 18 years of age and around 5'9". His brown hair fell in a cascade down the side of his face, wrapping his high cheek bones. Bubbles could faintly see a brownish glow resonating from his eyes. His eyes were bistre with ripples of light hazel.

He seemed like a nice guy, in her opinion, based on his attitude earlier.

She let out an annoyed stream of breath while leaning back into the cushioned airline seat. While sitting up, she could make out figures from the corner of her vision—the others in the opposite isle and one row back. It irked her just feeling their presence, let alone visibly seeing them. But she let her mind fly elsewhere, not wanting to take away from the serenity of the flight. Bubbles recalled the initial arrival, and how anticlimactic it was, contrary to her previous belief. She expected more disruptions and anger. If anything, it was too calm.

She remembered how Roland had been waiting at the airport doors, maintaining patience alongside a chocolate-haired woman. The girls had shown up late, as Blossom refused to step foot from the gate area without a latte of some sort. Surprisingly enough, Miss Organization was willingly late for a flight. Bubbles could understand in this situation, though.

The rivalry between the RowdyRuff Boys was intense, and for unknown reasons. She assumed that the cause was that the boys were, undoubtedly, strong –maybe stronger. It fueled them to be on guard when dealing with them. They couldn't falter; not even for a second. Despite years spent without a single sight of the boys, the hatred carried on, even without a recent reason or grudge.  
>If anyone should be holding a grudge, Bubbles believed the right should go to Brick, and his younger brothers. She found it safe to adopt that as the motive of the girls' long-time fear of them, and what they were capable of doing with the anger they must've held.<p>

After some time of waiting in line at the airport's Starbucks, the trio found their way to the runway, snacks in hand, where an unfortunately familiar group stood alongside some unfamiliar company.

Bubbles found herself eyeing not her own counterpart, but the oldest of the brothers first. He had grown up most since the last time her and her sisters last laid eyes on them. He seemed to be missing his signature red snapback. His maroon locks were big and messy, and resembled a ball of fire on his head the way it danced in the wind. His crimson eyes were haunting, filled with intense emotion, while his eyelashes were long and dark. Bubbles became lost in his eyes, and felt a twinge of fear in her heart as she saw how much they reminded her of pools of blood from a horror movie that scarred her when she was a child.

He didn't seem to be focused on a specific sibling, his eyes were unmoving and glued forward where Blossom stood, but it felt like his gaze went right through her. Bubbles turned to meet her older sister's glance. She was scowling back at him, keeping a stern and steady posture. Bubbles expected no less from her intellectual superior. But she could feel the hesitation in Blossom's scrutiny; her amaranth eyes twitched faintly and she put in such effort to be fierce with each step. On the other hand, Brick was sturdier than a boulder. He broke not a sweat, and his features were calm and relaxed. It seemed that his normal face and stature was more intimidating than her sister's most immense efforts.

Bubbles visibly shuddered after taking in the elders' current standings, and put her attention elsewhere.

Butch stood to his older brother's side, arms folded impatiently in front of his toned chest. His thick black locks swept messily across his face as he lazily brushed them to the side with a swift movement of his head. His Lincoln green eyes flickered as he straightened himself out, preparing to finally enter the plane. He let out a single sardonic chuckle before wasting no time boarding the aircraft, giving Blue no time to view him physically. She bit her lip, watching as his tall figure vanished into the depths of the blue-carpeted isle. She could only imagine his personality based off of what she was lucky enough to see from him. She presumed that he had discovered an irritation in waiting for her and her sisters to arrive. Her suspicions were confirmed as the lone lady spoke suddenly, gaining attention from everyone.

"He's been waiting- We all have, since we couldn't sit down without your presence here." She was stern, spoke with a bitter tongue. From the far right, Buttercup gulped, wondering just how much yelling she'd be hearing. Blossom had already lectured her during the long distance travel from the car to the airport. Apparently, making a sly remark about Robin's "_dysfunctional_" family wasn't a clever thing to do in Blossom's company. Nevertheless, Buttercup knew that she wouldn't be able to hold her tongue if the mystery woman lectured her as if she was in a familiar and comfortable position to do so, and she wasn't about to be the one to ruin this _experience_ for her sisters either-

-At least not yet.

The woman opened her glossed lips again, and Bubbles braced herself. Not for the words that might come from their superior other, but for the _phrases_ that might exit her jade-eyed sister.

"Ladies, now that you're here, let's get on this damn thing already! These heels are killing my feet!" She moaned and ran on ahead of them. Blossom bore such a look that one would think her brain cells died while Buttercup struggled to contain a laugh of relief. Bubbles meekly spoke on her sisters' behalf. "Why don't you take them off then?" The chocolate tresses whipped around as she stopped half way up the matted steps. "'_Take them off?'_" She stared incredulously. "Girl, these are _Prada_!" She beamed brightly as she adjusted her blue rimmed specs and sashayed into the airplane.

Bubbles felt the grin tugging at the corners of her lips. Right then, she knew that her sisters would enjoy that woman's company on this trip with their worst nightmares.

* * *

><p>Boomer sat by the open isle. He rested his weary head on his arms as his brothers remained still and quiet beside him. Brick had long since fallen asleep, leaving only him and the middle child awake and thinking. He could feel the rumbling of the airplane below his feet during the whole flight, but through the rough turbulence he could easily notice the tapping vibrations from the feet diagonal from his. Instinctively, his duke blue eyes followed up the legs, continued to the waist and trailed all the way to the slender face of his caregiver. Her piercing turquoise eyes were already staring right back into his.<p>

"What are you thinking, Maya?" He muttered with an uninterested voice. Maya continued to stare worrisomely at his face. Her hand was posted up below her chin, almost the same as him, and she seemed to be staring off into space. Maya was in her own crazy world again, and Boomer wanted no part of it. Today, he was tired with a side of unexpected misery. He constantly questioned why they were in a plane instead of just flying themselves, and Brick had gotten such an earful of pointless ponders that he passed out before they were even twenty feet in the air. Boomer looked upon his brother's sleeping form, feeling a tint of remorse for overworking him all the time.

Maya let out a sigh. "You seem troubled, Boomie." She purred as she moved her hand to grab a glass wedged in a cup-holder. Boomer rolled his eyes as she slurped away and turned his head away from her. "Must you call me that?" He murmured softly as to not wake up his brother. He heard Butch in his right ear snickering at the pet name. "But it's cute!" She cheered as she set down her colourful drink and leaned closer.

"What's gotten you so down, though?" She softened. "I'm tired, but I have too much on my mind to sleep." He answered, facing Maya slightly. Butch's eyes lit up with interest as he began to tune in to the conversation. "I think something bad is going to happen." He admitted and slumped into his chair.  
>"Yeah," a darker voice erupted from the corner of the seats. "We're gonna die." Maya glared at Butch as he stated the morbid suggestion with a matter-of-factly voice. Boomer sighed and closed his eyes, slumping deeper into the cushion.<p>

Maya patted Blue on the leg sympathetically and advised him to sleep. He did, after some time, and Maya instantly grew irate. "Son of a _pickle, _Butch! What is wrong with you!?"

He smirked at her, chuckling darkly. "It's the truth. Those girls don't give a rat's ass about us. I'm almost sure they've been trying to kill us themselves." He was bold, brash and cold. "This ends badly for us no matter what. We're evil. We're criminals!" He snapped, letting the rage consume his voice. "It's either we are dead, or locked up forever! We'll never see the light of day regardless, so why lie to him?" His body was tense and his fists shook with anger. "Why lie to ourselves?" His jaw locked and he turned away, sharply ending the borderline one-sided conversation.

Maya took him in; every fibre of him she studied. The way he dressed, the way he spoke and carried himself, even the way he brushed his hair. He stalked the Earth with a malevolent undertone. He left anyone who crossed him emotionally or physically scarred. He would never let anyone one-up him. Butch was a young man who used strength to get by in life, and she watched as he glared daggers out the window and at the clouds below him. But Maya could see a different emotion in his eyes. She understood why and who he was.

He was all bark and no bite. She knew he knew it, too.

She smiled to herself, shrinking away into her seat. He was wrong, _so wrong_. "_These boys were good boys, just born on to the wrong hands._" She let out a breath of warm air before adjusting her specs and returning to her fruity beverage.

_"They'll make it."_

* * *

><p>The 3-hour flight felt like it took weeks to land. When it did, Brick still showed no signs of life. "Wake up." Butch harshly spat as he jabbed him in the sides. Boomer held back a giggle when his older brother jolted awake with a panicked expression that quickly melted into a shy grin. "Really?" He laughed and punched Green back. "And I was having the best dream, too."<br>"Well, dreamy sleepy time is over. We gotta get off this hunk of metal now." Brick looked around with curious eyes before asking how long the flight had been. "Not long, maybe a couple of hours or so." Butch responded as he collected his luggage from the shelf above. Brick slid out of his seat and looked to Boomer as he reached for his belongings. "Did you find out why we flew here in a plane?" Boomer nodded sheepishly and explained the conversation he had moments before Brick's awakening.

"We were brought here by plane because that bearded guy didn't want anyone to know that the Puffs were no longer in the town." Brick snorted at the news. How did he not figure it out on his own? He grabbed his stuff and began towards the opening door.

"They didn't want the civilians to see their streaks flying out of Townsville." Boomer continued as he motioned for the middle child to follow behind him. Butch obliged, and progressed to the main exit of the plane. He noticed the three counterparts remained seated, and caught a pair of baby blue orbs staring at him from the corner of his eyes, but didn't turn his head to meet them. He wanted nothing to do with them at this point; the boys had been out of trouble ever since _The Incident_. He glared into space, wanting nothing more than to remove himself from the presence of those piercing eyes, and would've succeeded had a small voice not rang out from behind him.

"How was your flight?" she inquired, and he stopped dead in his tracks. He felt his blood boil from the tip of his toes to the top of his head, and he immediately began to regret his decision of stopping, and showing her that he acknowledged her question. He didn't look back, but took a cautious step forward before responding.

"As if you care." He spat, and felt a wave of grim satisfaction when he felt her gaze drop and heard her sink down in the seat with clear defeat. Since when did she care—or anyone for that matter? He trudged forward, squeezing his fist tightly as if to draw blood from his palms. Butch took deep breaths, heaving in and out at an animalistic pace until he could feel himself loosen the grip on his luggage.

As he exited the aircraft, Butch mumbled to himself, cursing the blue eyed girl, for she had restored his bitter mood. She brought on a new rage with her pointless ponders from out of the blue. He cursed her, her family, and anyone who pretended to take interest in his sorry life. If anything, he knew she couldn't care less. She had the whole world on her side, and it was her duty to put a stop to him, the scum of the world. He stopped his thoughts upon feeling the grasp on his luggage tighten again, and muttered one last time as the girls began to retrieve their suitcases.

"Stupid Puff."

* * *

><p><strong>AGAIN, I'M STILL ALIVE. I REPEAT, STILL ALIVE…<strong>  
><strong>Thank you for reading and putting up with yet another short chapter! I've been really busy, and I tried my hardest to update but I might be able to get back on track now that exams are finally over! New chapters will be coming out sooner (hopefully). Regardless, I hope you all can stick around!<strong>

**So here's a Boomer/Bubbles centric chapter. It was a bit hard to write in the end because of writer's block as usual. But I tried! Next chapter will be up soon… I just gotta type it…. XD**

**And there is going to be a reference made throughout the story! _The Incident_, a separate tale for the RowdyRuff Boys' side of the story. What do you think happened that made them like this? I'd love to hear your opinions so send 'em in!**

_**All will be revealed in due time!**_

**Maya belongs to theshipperandmlpmaster**  
><strong><span>Roland<span> belongs to ROC95**

**Thank you guys for helping to contribute to this story!**

**Please read and review; I'll try to update quicker if I'm motivated enough! (Especially since writer's block is my best friend.)**

**BYE!**


	13. Vehicle

**12:**_** Promise ~**_

* * *

><p>The airport slowly faded out of sight, its large white silhouette gradually disappearing from the car window. Brick sighed, shifting the weight of his head to his palms. His two younger siblings sat behind him, Butch being the only one in clear view. Boomer was directly behind his chair; he'd have to strain in order to see him. A pile of handheld luggage separated his siblings, and serviced Butch as an armrest— although Brick was not amused to see his younger brother applying his 178 pounds of weight onto his belongings; he had fragile things inside.<p>

To his left, Maya held her hands firmly on the steering wheel, paying attention to nothing but the road. Brick almost let out a laugh as he watched her silently struggle behind the wheel. She was usually calm and collected. To see her panic while handling a vehicle tickled his interested, and he couldn't help but point it out. The ride was bound to be long and boring— it screamed for some excitement to loosen up the dreadful events awaiting them all in the future. Brick figured he might as well enjoy the time until they moved into the _"House of Horrors"_ as Boomer liked to put it.

"You seem a little, _nervous_ there, Maya…" He smirked as her eyebrows furrowed with agitation. "I'm fine, Brick." She snapped quickly, cutting him off the second the last word came out of his mouth. He let the laugh escape, noticing her avoidance of eye contact. "Any driver can afford to take their eyes off an empty road for two seconds, Maya." He snickered in her direction. "I'd rather not get us all killed, thank you very much." She hastened, remaining glued to the road.  
>Brick's eyes lit up as she hinted to her worries. He couldn't contain the sly grin spreading across his face.<p>

"Would some coffee calm your nerves?" He started slowly. Maya took in a shaky breath, afraid of where the conversation was headed. "Your mug's right beside you. Just take a sip and relax." Her muscles tensed up, even more than before. "What's wrong? Can't afford to move even an inch or you'll crash—" Maya suddenly snapped, throwing her head in Brick's direction, her face baring such redness that a ripe tomato couldn't compare. Boomer and Butch became alert at the sound of her foot slamming the floor of the vehicle in anger.

"_Brick_!" she roared, replacing his mischievous sneer with a wide-eyed face of terror. No one had time to react as the car began to swerve violently, throwing the passengers around like ragdolls.  
>She let out a gasp as she tried frantically to gain control.<p>

Maya grabbed firmly to the wheel, but, unable to control even her own movements, she let out a frightened squeal before turning back to the brothers in the car.

The sound of the screeching tires faded out, replaced by deafening silence. Her coffee slowly lifted out of its holder, splashing the lukewarm beverage into the air and all around the car.

Her breath echoed throughout the silent surroundings. Everything was moving in slow motion, almost completely still. As she stared into Brick's rounded orbs, her own grew larger.

_"This can't be happening…" _She thought as she stared into the eyes of, not Brick, but her own husband.

* * *

><p>"How far away is the hotel?" Blossom scooted forward to make her voice present near Roland's ear. She was seated behind his chair, angled in a way that she could be closer to her sister and in the driver's line of vision. She cleared her throat and watched carefully as he drove smoothly down the road. "—If you don't mind me asking?" she continued, staring through the windshield. "It's not that far, actually." His smile melted into his words as he flicked his head back towards her. She returned the kind gesture, not wanting to be rude to her new acquaintance.<p>

Blossom had grown to enjoy the company of Roland, suspecting that his kind nature would last throughout the month of torture. Although she had many unanswered questions; she would've sat up front next to him to get better details. But alas, Buttercup called shotgun, and there was no arguing the "_Unspoken Rules of the Road_" when it came to her green-clad sibling.

"It's only about forty minutes on a clear road like this." He assured her, adjusting himself in the drivers' seat. She nodded with a gentle grin, suggesting she understood. Now, Blossom kept her eyes fixed on the car in front of them, just ahead by twenty meters. Her face hardened at the thought of the people in the vehicle, minus Maya, of course.

She couldn't believe how mature they'd become; she couldn't accept it either. She knew someday, somehow, they'd mess up. She didn't trust them in the slightest, and with the evidence from the crime scene, she strongly believed it would've been easier to arrest them on sight. But, Blossom knew that the best way to uncover the truth was to establish facts and provide hard evidence. She couldn't just throw the handcuffs on without true reason.

Biting her lip, she continued to stare into the back of the vehicle, unable to make out any shapes or figures behind the dark-tinted windows. Just the thought of them being the criminals behind the malicious and gruesome attacks enraged her, and for reasons unclear. Blossom tore her eyes away finally, leaving one last note to herself. _"Make just one mistake, boys. I'll be the one to catch you for my family, the town, and especially for Ace." _She wiped away the corners of her eyes where the tears of remembrance began to form. _"It's a promise."_

Roland slammed on the breaks, catching the girls off guard. The car came to a screeching halt, raising eyebrows as it did. "What is going on!?" Blossom screamed from the back, capturing the attention of her blue-eyed sister. "Roland?!" Bubbles inquired from the back, sitting up forcefully against her seatbelt. Buttercup gawked intensely as Maya's car began to lose control, swiveling hectically on and off of the dirt road.

"What happened!?" Buttercup finally loosened up to speak. As quickly as it happened, Maya's car performed a dangerous skid nearly flipping onto its side before coming to a painfully slow stop. A few seconds after Roland exited the car and jogged up to the driver's side, tapping on the glass.

Bubbles turned to her sisters, eyeing them each in quiet questioning. Buttercup simply shrugged as a response, not knowing herself how to answer the multiple questions arising from the event.

* * *

><p>Maya heaved as her eyes remained glued to the dashboard. Not even Roland's incessant tapping could break her out of her trance until minutes passed. "Maya? Maya, or you okay?" Roland lightly inquired with a cool but firm voice. Instead of receiving a response, Roland was met with a swinging door, pushing him slightly to the left. He clutched his waist, wincing only for a second before regaining his composure and rushing over to Maya's side. She was bent over, resting one hand on her knee and the other on the hood of the car, releasing her stomach onto the road.<p>

Brick stared helplessly at the scene unfolding around him as all the others began to pour out of the vehicles.

Was this his fault?

He swallowed dryly, moving a shaky hand to the door. He wanted to exit, but he was unsure of the moves to make afterwards. Should he ask if she's okay? Book it in the other direction? Brick took in a deep relieving breath, placing his slender fingers on the handle of the car door. He wasn't going to run this time. It was his natural instinct; being known as a criminal made him run, even if he didn't have anything to do with the situation. He grimaced at the thought of it— his pitiful life—and he looked straight at Maya.

_"From this day forward, I'm not gonna run anymore." _He swore to himself wordlessly, clenching his fist around the door. He planted his red converse-clad feet on the dirt floor, suddenly losing courage as the hard soil crunched beneath him. _"I'm not backing down anymore." _He strode over to the driver's side, placing a hand on Maya's shoulder daringly. "I can drive there, if it helps." He stated with an apologetic mien. She glanced at his chest from below, seeming afraid to look into his enticing crimson eyes. Her face flushed a rosy pink, and she nodded with a small sound. Brick rubbed his hand across her back before withdrawing it and standing straight, just as his rivals arrived at the scene. "Since when can you just drive?" Blossom questioned sternly, earning a snicker from the forest-clad boy to her left. Brick glared, stretching his muscles as he moved towards the wallet in his back pocket.

The girls eyed him skeptically as he retrieved a card from a little pocket, pulling out a laminated card. "My father found specific driving inspectors who weren't prejudice and judged fairly." He blankly waved to certified license at them, mocking them behind his façade. "I guess I made the cut, _evil_ or not."

Buttercup snorted in response, dragging Bubbles closer to Maya by the arm; Blossom followed suit, arms crossed tightly.

"I'm fine guys, really," she swept her chocolate locks back into place as she straightened out her clothing. "What happened?" Roland continued to inquire. She gazed at him, her mouth opening slightly as time progressed. She remembered it so clearly; the sirens, the red lights, the speeding silver Hyundai Elantra; every little detail. She felt sick to her stomach again, replaying the memories that she struggled to keep in the back of her mind.

The memories of the accident came crashing back to her all at once; she could feel tears beginning to swell. But she noticed, it was more from the shear embarrassment than the actual pain. She turned away from them, sauntering over to the passenger side. The others exchanged glances, eyeing Maya carefully as she grasped the door. Pulling it with a hollow click, she finally looked up at her companions, catching them by surprise with the sheepish grin that graced her appearance. With the most casual and honey-smooth voice, she answered their ongoing questions.

"I don't want to talk about it."

* * *

><p><strong>Looks like Blossom and Brick have made promises to themselves~ This should end well!<br>Hope you enjoy the new chapter, it's kinda short, but I'm still trying to transition into the good stuff! Drama should start soon, I hope you didn't have to wait too long! ;w;**

**Maya seems to have some buried secrets to share! It's probably clear what happened to her in the past, but how it affects the story later might be a little less expected! I hope you look forward to the conclusion of this story, and I hope you enjoy reading; it's not over yet.**

**In fact, it's just beginning!**

**Please read and review so I know to continue down this path~ Please and thank you! You guys inspire me to keep going, without it this story would be no more.**

**BYE!**


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